The Story
by Friar Freaking Lawrence
Summary: I'm not James Potter's sister. I might as well be though. /\ I'm not James Potter's brother. I might as well be. /\ Cuz he would kill me if he found out /\ Cuz he would kill me if he found out /\ That I love him. /\ That I love her. MWPP SBOC JPLE RLOC
1. Prologue: Enterlude

Prologue: Enterlude

We hope you enjoy your stay

It's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day

We hope you enjoy your stay

Outside the sun is shining, it seems like heaven ain't far away

It's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day

What you're about to read is a love story.

_Shut up Lily, it is not. It's just our last year at Hogwarts._

_**So, Ava, you don't consider how we got together a love story?**_

_No, Mr. Black, to me it's just …I don't know, a story, or something… it's just a thing that happened. What do they care? Don't they have their own lives?_

What about the rest of our lives? Weren't they important?

_Paige, stop being so overdramatic._

**I think when they finish reading our story, they're gonna cry. FROM HAPPINESS!**

_**Stop sucking up to Lily, James, you're already engaged.**_

_Padfoot, stop talking, you're going to ruin the entire story._

_**Moony, how could you possibly talk to your best mate like that?**_

_See above._

Guys, enough! They're not gonna get a chance to read it if we keep arguing.

**Completely true, Lily. Absolutely. But what should we call it…?**

Sirius was right, James, you don't need to keep sucking up to Lillers. It's not very becoming of you.

_So, we need a title…_

_**Oh, well, I like Ava's idea-**_

**WHO'S SUCKING UP NOW, HUH BLACK!?!?**

James, calm down. You're being an idiot.

**Love you too…**

_So, I'm kinda diggin' this whole 'it's just a story' idea-_

Well of course you are, you came up with it. Honestly, you and Sirius are not the most subtle idea-suggesters…

_Well, what did you expect honey? They're not the sharpest tools in the shed…_

_WHAT??? I WAS VALEDICTORIAN YOU IMBECILE!!! (attacks Remus)_

AVA! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!

(loud noises, etc. etc.)

**Ok, umm, let's just call this 'The Story' and be done with it. Er, Ava, please stop…**

Er, yeah, so, enjoy!

OK, now, this is my old story, How Alike We Really Are, but with some major changes that will make it totally better. I promise. So, chapter 1 should be up soon, maybe even faster if all you readers review! *HINT, HINT*

~Friar

POST SCRIPT: and that's not how the rest of the story is gonna go. It'll be normal first person POV, from various characters, depending on whatever point in the story we've gotten to.


	2. Chapter 1: Fast Car

The Story

Chapter One: Fast Car

Anyplace is better  
Starting from zero got nothing to lose  
Maybe we'll make something  
But me myself I got nothing to prove

I was just sitting in my dorm throwing a basketball up in the air. Honestly. That was all I was doing. I wasn't bugging anybody else, or anything. But the second they hear that I'm doing something _muggle_-related I'm in trouble. Of course this is no news to me. I do it just to annoy them. Because, truth be told, that's really the only thing I can do in this goddamned establishment.

Let me explain. My name is Ava Alice Motta, I am fourteen years old, and I am a muggleborn witch currently residing at The Salem Witches' Institute. Most people don't know this, but Salem is _ridiculously_ prejudiced towards muggleborns. Salem wasn't always like this. 'It's just your generation,' says my Headmaster (Headmaster Brown), my advisor (Mrs. Tuck, whom I hate with a passion) and my History of Magic teacher (Mr. Murphy). Well, I hope what they say is true. I'm the only muggleborn at my school, and that means all their prejudiced feelings are all directed at me. Granted, Mr. Murphy is a muggleborn too, but he's _cool_ enough to make up for it. I'm not, because I haven't entirely 'embraced' magic yet. Sorry for doing what I enjoy…bitches…

I love being a muggleborn. You get the best of both worlds (A/N: HANNAH MONTANA!) and it's awesome. The only problem is I'm kind of not liked in either. Because I like sports so much and I'm a witch, muggles think I'm a freak lesbo. But because I love muggle things so much, I'm considered a freak. So, in case you haven't guessed yet, I don't have many friends. I'd have to say my only true friend is James Potter. He's British, but we own Cape houses in Chatham that are next door to each other. I've known him for my entire life. I have no idea why he wouldn't stay in London, but I guess that's just proof that American's are awesome!

James is…an idiot. He's totally gaga for this chick, Lily Evans is her name, I think. He met her at his private school. It's some school for kids that are especially talented. Well, I guess that explains a lot about James. But so when he first met this Lily person, he _hated _her. He thought she was the most stuck up girl he had ever met. She sounded like it too, the way he described her. Then he went back to school and _everything_ changed. He became completely infatuated with her. I quote: 'You should see the way she stands up to the jerks at our school, Ava. She's amazing. I can't believe I never noticed her before. She's got the prettiest eyes, like emeralds. And her hair is just as fiery as her temper.' I swear to god, I'm going to stick a letter opener into his skull the next time he tells me about how 'wonderful' this child is. If she stands up to the jerks at his school, she obviously thinks she's the shit. And I hate people who think they're the shit. Because they're wrong. _I_ am the shit. There's no denying it.

Ok, just kidding. I am definitely not the shit. I just like to act like I am, because, as stated above, I really enjoy annoying people.

So, back to the story. I'm just practicing my basketball shot. I'm lying on my back on my bed throwing the ball in the air. Then _they _stalk in. Whoops, forgot to lock the door. Blast.

'_They_' are the other girls in my class. Marianne Miller, Brianna Corrado, Haley Vann, and Laura Lahey are quite possibly the most idiotic, asinine, stupid, ditzy, slutty, and prejudiced people I have ever I had the displeasure to meet.

"What are you _doing_?" asks the ringleader, Marianne.

"Oh, you know, just chillin'" I say. I see her face go beet purple. She's a terrible ringleader, if you ask me. Brianna would be much better, because she doesn't get as flustered when I act like someone I know they won't like. Marianne, on the other hand, is so easy to rile up, I just can't help myself.

"Well, stop it. It's distracting us from our work," says Haley.

"Oh, you mean the work you were doing downstairs?" I ask.

"Yes, that work," she confirms.

"Well, how did you hear the ball go up in the air and back from all the way down there," I ask, throwing the ball back up in the air. It stops midway and deflates. I look over to the girls and see Lauren putting her wand back in her hand bag. Out of all of them, she's the most studious and the easiest to get along with. That being said, she's still an ass.

They're all silent from my last comment. Marianne, refusing to be outdone, creates the wittiest comment I have ever hear.

"We just did, ok? So can you stop, you fucking mudblood," she says with an air of superiority.

I snort and laugh in my ever so girly way. Ok, not really, that was sarcasm. "You know I don't care what you call me. Find something personal. Like, they are tons of other mudbloods out there. You calling me one doesn't make me feel bad because I know there's someone out there who's dealing with the same thing. I don't care," I say, getting up. I refuse to let their petty comments get to me.

"Why do you have to make knowing you so goddamned hard?" Brianna asks.

I walk towards her, grabbing my deflated basketball out of the air. "Because I'm just fun like that, yo. Life's tough, get a helmet," I say, and smack her in the forehead with the palm of my hand. I cackle and run downstairs. I hear her screech in frustration from behind me, and I run faster.

It's around seven, so I figure there will be less people in the dining hall getting dinner. I head in there and get my dinner, put it on a tray, and leave the hall.

I stroll around outside eating my hotdog and sipping milk from a carton. I had put a heating charm on myself to keep my feet, which are currently in sandals, from freezing in the snow. I'm more of a summer person anyways. I've only gotten to take one bite-a _single_ bite, and food is very important to me-of my hotdog when I hear a large boom come from the school behind me.

"Oh, shift."

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I run back up to the dining hall. I see a large, shimmering, green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. "Aw, hell," I say to myself, because I know this to be the sign associated with the Death Eaters. I'm shocked that Voldemort has already moved on to the U.S. I wasn't expecting this for a few years.

I take out my wand and tiptoe my way into the hall. They are dead bodies everywhere, but no Death Eaters. Huh. Did they already come here? Thank god it was late. Everyone's probably back at the dorms, which are on the other side of the campus.

I look at a few faces, seeing a few girls I knew and also disliked. Not that big of a loss, if you ask me. I kick a few bodies out of my way, happy the people who made my life miserable are now dead.

"Are you happy with my work?" I hear a cold voice from behind me say.

"Oh yes, quite happy. These bitches deserve it, if you ask me," I say, not turning around. I'm pretty sure who it is though.

"Oh, really? Because, if you ask me, you deserve far worse, mudblood," he replies. I turn around and am immediately met with a Cruciatus Curse. I bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain. I am not going to give him that satisfaction.

Five and a half minutes later, I can't take it anymore. "Shit," I murmur under my breath, hoping he wouldn't hear. WRONG.

"Oh, my, you Americans are such potty-mouths. Imagine what your mother would say!" he laughs and puts more power behind his Cruciatus.

"At least…my mom…is still…alive…" I manage to get out. I know all about the history of Tom-freaking-Riddle. I had to do a report on the Slytherin family last year for History of Magic, so I know all about his poor existence.

"My mother was of purer blood than yours will ever be!" he says, taking the Cruciatus off of me, allowing me to stand up.

"Well, if you wanna be literal, my mom's blood and your mom's blood are equally pure; they're just at different ends of the spectrum!" I grab my wand. I figure if I can keep him talking I can distract him.

"But your mother is a muggle! She's at the wrong end of the spectrum!" Voldemort argues back. I wonder if he realizes that this argument is beyond stupid and that I'm trying to distract him. Not the sharpest tool in the shed if you ask me.

"At least my mom wasn't a whore who needed to create a _love potion_ to get the man she wanted!" Aha I got you! Suck on that Tommy-boy!

Bam. Ouch. There's another Cruciatus Curse. He takes it off after only a few seconds. "Take. That. Back," he hisses.

"Hmm, no I don't think I shall," I say with a fake British accent. This time I'm ready for the Cruciatus he sends my way

"_Protego!_" I yell.

So I basically avoid every spell he throws in my direction for the next few minutes. Eventually, a curse rebounds towards him and momentarily stops him. I take this opportunity to run to the fireplace at the end of the hall. I grab the jar of Floo Powder, and throw some in. I lean in and yell "_Dumbledore' s office!_" and my head and shoulders begin to spin, while the rest of my body remains stationary. When the spinning stops, I see Dumbledore walking towards me.

"Sir! Sir! Voldemort's attacked my school! He's at Salem-" I began, but then the man in question pulled me back to Salem. Damn.

"You think you can get away just like that?" he hisses, the little nostrils he has are flaring, and his eyes flash red.

"You know, you bear a striking resemblance to a snake," I say, the words just falling out of my mouth before I could even think about it.

"Shut. UP!" he screams. "_Crucio!_" he yells again. I yelp in pain, but refrain from crying out anymore. And lucky for me, Dumbledore's just arrived. The only reason I know about Dumbledore is because I read about him on a Chocolate Frog card. If he can defeat Grindewald he can help me out of my little scrape with Voldemort.

"Leave her alone, Tom," he says. "She has done nothing to you." He's standing in front of me now. They begin to duel, but Voldemort is always aiming for me. Well, time for me to get out of here.

I look around for something I can turn into a portkey. Finally I see a glass lying on the ground. I pick it up, mutter "_Portus_" and I am taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a matter of a few seconds. I stumble over to a couch on the other side of the room and fall asleep.

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I'm awoken a few hours later by Dumbledore's incessant shaking of my shoulders. I almost socked him in the face because I hate being woken up by other people.

"What's going on?" I ask, still groggy.

"Your school was attacked, Miss…?"

"Ava Motta. Yeah, I gathered that my school was attacked. What's the damage?" I ask, sitting up properly.

"Well, the entire school has been burnt down. Lord Voldemort Apparated away and by that time the rest of the school was gone."

"So, all of my stuff…is in essence a pile of ashes?" I ask.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Crap," I mutter. Well, I have some clothes at home I can grab. And my guitar- Thank _God_ I didn't bring it to school this year. "So, what am I doing for school now?"

"Well, where would you like to go?"

"Umm, preferably someplace that speaks English; that would be good. Is Utica still open?" I ask. Utica is Salem's brother school. My cousin goes there.

"No, Utica was attacked as well, but has not sustained as much damage." My face pales as he says this, because me and my cousin Sam are pretty good friends. He must sense this, because he says, "Don't worry, there were no casualties. Just some injuries. I'm sure everyone will be okay." I let out a sigh of relief at that statement.

"Well, I guess the only place left would be here, because I can barely speak Spanish anymore and I hate the French."

"Well, then, let me just enroll you into the school," he says, sitting down behind his desk. He pulls out a huge book-all tattered and stuff-and writes something in it. "All done!" he says jovially after a few seconds. "Now, let's get you sorted." I give him a look. Sorted? "Of course, you wouldn't know. There are four houses here at Hogwarts: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Slytherins are known for being cunning, Hufflepuffs are known for their kindness, Ravenclaws are very smart, and Gryffindors are extremely brave."

Dumbledore gets this old disgusting rotting smelly hat down from a high shelf in his study.

Before he plops it on my head, I say,

"Is it really that easily here? Just like, write me in and 'sorted' and that's it?"

Dumbledore smiles at me, "Yes, Miss Motta, that's it."

He puts the hat on my head and it falls over my eyes. I tilt it up so I can still see my surroundings. Then I hear this creepy voice in my head.

'_My, my, you are a difficult one. You would do well in most houses. Hufflepuff is definitely not for you. And I don't think you value your studies well enough to be a Ravenclaw, no. Well, you certainly could go either way. Hmm…you certainly have the bravery for Gryffindor, but the way you use your words to anger those around you is definitely a Slytherin trait. But I don't think I would be cruel enough to put a muggleborn into Slytherin house. Yes, I suppose for you it's _GRYFFINDOR!'

"Very well, now that that is sorted out, we should probably get you home and let your mother know what you're doing."

With that, he creates a new portkey, and we travel back to the States. When we land, I ignore my mother's questioning and simply trudge upstairs so I can get a few hours of sleep. I'll let Dumbledore explain what I've been through tonight.

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I wake up to see a boy in glasses staring at me. I blink a few times, and I realize it's Sam.

"SAM!" I scream. I jump out of bed and give him a huge hug. "Oh, thank god you're alright! I was so scared that the Death Eaters got you! Are you hurt? How are you feeling? What are you doing now?" I ask all in one breath.

He laughs his pubescent teenage boy laugh. Sam has been stuck in the middle of puberty for the past three years or so, and hasn't been able to get out of it. I hope it's soon though, because I won't look that cool with an almost sixteen (January 16) year old cousin who still talks like a thirteen year old child. "I'm fine, Ava. In fact, I'm coming with you to Hogwarts."

I scream again. "YOU ARE? AWESOME! Oh, man, I am _so pumped!_ It's gonna be legendary!"

He laughs again. "I know, Ava. Let's go get some grub, shall we?" he asks. Ah, always thinking about the food.

After breakfast, I find my mom talking to with Sam's mom, Aunty Carol, and Dumbledore in the living room.

"So what's going on?" I ask, walking in barefoot.

"Well, honey," my mom begins. "You're going to go to Hogwarts, since you're already enrolled. Sam's going to go with you. Since Professor Dumbledore wants to make sure you don't miss much school, you're going to leave tomorrow morning. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Umm, question, though: is there a potion to overcome jetlag?" I ask. "Just because I don't want to be waking up at ungodly hours and such."

Dumbledore answers. "Yes, we have a hospital wing and a fully accomplished nurse who can take care of all of that for you."

"Snazzy. Okay, well, I guess I'll go pack then. You coming Sam?" I ask Sam.

"Well, I'm all packed, but I can help if you want," he replies.

"Kinda what I was hoping for. C'mon!" I say, pushing him out of the room.

It takes me three hours to pack. Sam and I had to go shopping first, because all of my winter clothes were destroyed. When we got back, we had a snowball fight on our way from the car to my house (and the walkway from the driveway to the front door is only about thirty feet), which just shows how small our attention spans are. So we finish packing, and then it's time for dinner, which is my favorite dinner of all time: hot dogs and baked beans. Yeah. I'm just that cool…

Sam and I sleep in the TV room that night. It's a tradition of ours. Whenever he comes to my house, we sleep on the magic (figuratively speaking…) couch that could make a person who suffers from sleep apnea fall asleep. Yeah, it's that good. We stay up all night talking and watching television. We do finally fall asleep, and I'm awoken the next morning by some god-awful birds chirping and the sun glaring right in my eyes.

"Ow…" I groan. I check the clock above the television. It says 7:30. Knowing Sam isn't one who likes to be late (just kidding, he's not a morning person), I pounce on him, knowing where he's ticklish the most.

"Okay, okay, Ava! I'm getting up!" he yells, his voice cracking. Haha, puberty.

We have breakfast, get changed, and all that jazz. Dumbledore's arriving at nine, and it's only 8:30. So I basically have nothing to do with myself. I am so excited right now. Maybe I'll be able to make friends with people. It would be nice to have girl friends. I only see James for two months a year, and that's not nearly enough. I always feel so lonely at school, but his letters help me out, I guess.

The grandfather clock in the living room strikes nine and I hear a _pop_ of Apparation outside our front door. Assuming it's Dumbledore, me and Sam go get our bags while Mom opens up the front door. "Hello, Albus, lovely to see you again," I hear her say from downstairs.

"So what house do you think you'll be in?" I ask Sam, while I put my bags downstairs.

"I don't know. Gryffindor would be cool, because that's where you are, but I think I'm smarter than I am brave, so Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad." We reach the bottom of the stairs, to see Dumbledore just waiting around. In his hand is the hat that sorts people.

"Well, Mr. Motta, let's get you sorted," he says, and gestures to the big green chair in the living room. Sam sits in it, and the hat sits on his head for a few seconds before yelling out "RAVENCLAW!" Dammit. Well, now I have to actually make friends with people. Crap.

"Very well, now, I shall explain the system of the school to you. Your house is like your family away from home. Do good things, and you will earn house points. Do something wrong, and you will lose house points. The four houses each have their own common room, and dorms. You will share your dorm with the boys or girls in your year. Ava, you are a third year, and Samuel, you are a fifth year. You will eat at your house tables, but you do have the option of sitting with someone of a different house. We have a system of prefects and Head Boy and Girl that you also had at Salem and Utica, so I won't bother explaining that. I think that's all. Now, grab onto this piece of paper. It's a portkey that will take you to my office. The Head Boy will direct you," he looks at Sam, "to your dorm. The Head Girl will direct you," he looks at me, "to your dorm. Are there any questions? No, very well, let's get going!"

I give Mom and Aunty a big hug. "I'll see you in the summer, yeah?" I say to them. Sam does the same thing. We grab the piece of paper. In a second, we're transported to Dumbledore's office. There the Head Girl, Alice Prewett, takes me to the Gryffindor Common Room. It's completely decked out in red and gold everything. There's a fire going in the fireplace, but I just walk up the stairs until I find a door that says 'Third Year Girls.' I walk inside and dump my bags. After I unpack, I go back to sleep, something that seems to be a regular occurrence in my life lately. I wake up a few hours later, to find that I missed dinner. Whatever, I'm not that hungry. Now I'm ready to make myself some new friends. Wish me luck.

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**Well, there ya have it. Chapter 1. Please let me know what you thought of it. Even if you think it totally sucked, let me know. I just want a crap load of reviews to make me feel special :D So please review. PLEASE!**

_**Next time on The Story:**_

_**-Ava meets the entire gang (what will their reactions be??)**_

**-Friar**

- em yes this would be her RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING (and currently very ticked off/upset/annoyed/choose one) beta who tots kicks ass and is thinking that there had DAMN WELL better be a character based offa me cuz I'm just too amazing not to be here. **So you think…** So yea….review I guess? So I don't have to deal with her complaining? **I think you're thinking of yourself, marge. you're the only one who complains.** Yea woot. Oh and for all those Quebec-ians out there, YOU'RE HABS ARE GOING DOWN TONIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. BOSTON KICKS ASS. **As much as I love boston sports teams, hockey is probs are weakest link, and I def don't think we're going to win**

-wicked

Yeah breener good job

40 days and waiting

**SINCE WHAT??**


	3. Chapter 2: That Green Gentleman

Disclaimer: ok, awkward, I forgot to put a disclaimer for the last chapter…and I'll probably forget again, so this goes for the entire story: I do not, and never have, owned anything related to Harry Potter. I only own Sam and Ava.

The Story

Chapter Two: That Green Gentleman

Things have changed for me, and that's okay  
I feel the same, I'm on my way, and I say  
Things have changed for me, and that's okay

**Ava's POV**

I walk down the stairs nervously. I have no idea who _any_ of these people are. What am I supposed to talk to them about? Gah, mind exploding…

Halfway down the stairs, the little procrastinator that lives inside my head yells _Shower! Shower! _Huh. Good idea, Joe. I think I will go shower.

After I get out of the shower, I put on some boy shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt. I brush my hair out, and leave it down, a rare occurrence. Usually there's too much of it to keep down, but it's condensed after a shower and somewhat controllable.

I grab my favorite book of all time, _To Kill a Mockingbird_. I run a hand through my hair as a walk through the doorway. I enter the common room which is filled to the brim with students doing homework. Ew.

I sit down in a plushy red arm chair by the fire and open up my book. I glance over the top of the page to observe the room. On the couch to my right were the girls I assume I share my room with. They're all giggly and laughing and…stereotypical. Exactly like the girls at Salem. Blast, I thought I had escaped that sort of stuff.

Across the room are the younger looking kids working on homework, I guess. All around me people seem to be working, with the exception of the girls to my right. I'm shocked that so much homework has been assigned so shortly after the holidays are over.

I go back to my book. For the next half hour I read my book, until I finish it. Looking up, I notice that the common room has almost emptied. The only people left are a group of boys sitting in a secluded corner. Deciding that I was not quite tired enough to go to bed and meet new people, I grab a newspaper off the coffee table my feet have been resting on. I shift in my seat so I can curl up in a little ball; the fire's not so warm anymore, and wearing shorts was not the smartest decision. Oh…my god. What-ho-who-NO!

_Attack on Salem Witches' Institute Draws Only One Survivor_

Beneath is a picture of Salem's remains and a mini-biography on me. Great. I do love drawing attention. Scowling, I throw the paper back on the table. Apparently, the idea of being subtle is totally lost on me, as the boys turned around and looked at me for the first time.

"Can we help you?" asks one with light brown hair asks.

"Wha-oh, uh, no. Sorry," I stutter.

"You sure?" one with shaggy dark hair asks. "You sounded pretty pissed off right there."

I scoff. "'Pissed off' would be an understatement at the very least. I'm just not too fond of having my life story plastered all over a foreign newspaper."

"Foreign?" squeaks the last boy, who is somewhat pudgier than the other two boys.

"Umm, yeah, if you couldn't tell by my accent, I'm from Boston."

"Cool, cool," said the boy with the dark hair. The boys turned back to their work, and I turned back to the paper. All of the sudden, the portrait hole door bangs open and I hear a boy yell out.

"I have arrived! With food too! Bow down and worship me!" I smirk. That's such a thing I would say. Or James. "Oh, awkward…thought we would be the only ones in the common room…" James would have said that too…

I look up finally and find the guy with the food- hey I'm hungry, I skipped dinner- and my mouth drops open.

"OH MY EFFING LORD!" I yell. Their heads all snap around to look at me, and the guy with the food collapses when he sees my face.

I jump up and run over to them, all the while thinking that there is no possible way on this planet that the pussy that just collapsed is who I really think he is.

"What's wrong with him?" asks the first boy I think.

"He's a tool, that's what's wrong with him!" I say. I'm shaking the boy's body, but he's not getting up. "Oh, for Christ's sake!" I mutter, and I slap him across the face.

The boy shoots up, mumbling something incoherent.

"OH MY GOD!" he yells. "AVA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOU'RE A MUGGLE, OR DID YOU FORGET, YOU FUGGLY WHORE?"

"I COULD ASK YOU THE SAME THING, YOU GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH!"

We stare at each other for a moment, and then he pulls me into a bear hug, both of us laughing.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks again softly.

"Umm, surprise I'm a witch?" I say, holding him by his shoulders.

"Yeah, surprise… well, I'm a-"

"-wizard? No kidding!" I finish for him sarcastically.

"But still, what are you doing here? You live in the States! You should be at Salem!"

"What, James, do you not read the newspaper?" I ask him disbelievingly.

"Er…" he looks around the room sheepishly, avoiding my eyes on purpose. It's a nervous habit we both pick up, but we do it on purpose just to make fun of each other.

"I'll take that as a no," I say. I get up and fetch that newspaper and throw it at James. It hits him in the head.

"Did I ever tell you what an awesome goalie you would make?" I ask him sarcastically.

"Shut up," he mumbles, pushing me.

Somebody coughs, and I see that the three other boys are still here.

James looks up to and says "Oh, hey guys, what's up?"

"You wanna explain this to us? How you know this complete stranger?"

"Oh, well, guys this is-"

"Ava Motta," I say, introducing myself.

"Oh my god, _you're_ James' Ava?" the boy with the shaggy hair asks.

"Yeah, is there something wrong?" I ask him.

"Well…uh…James…well, he didn't do you justice…I guess…" he trails off.

"Ok, umm… thanks, I guess…" _What_ is he talking about?

"YOU FOUGHT OFF VOLDEMORT!?" James yells, looking up from the newspaper.

"Uh…yeah…"

"_WHY_ ARE YOU STILL HERE?" he yells again, pulling me into another huge hug.

"Because I know how to use a simple shield charm, you tool," I say jokingly.

"Oh, Jesus, Ava, what if you didn't?" he asks, concern obvious in his voice.

I'm silent for a moment, but then I say probably the most stereotypical thing I could possibly say in this situation:

"Well, I'm here now, so let's not think about that."

James lets out a sigh of relief—I don't know why, it's not like it just happened—and says "Ok, you're right. C'mon, you need to meet the guys!" I look around and notice the three boys from before had left.

"Where'd they go?" I ask while he pulls me towards the staircase opposite from the one leading to my dorm.

"To the dorm, no doubt," he says, and pushes open the third door we pass. When we enter, two of the three are sitting on somebody's bed, talking quietly. They stop talking when we enter, so I can only assume they were talking about us. Great…

"Hey, guys…Well, I guess I've already introduced you to her…but she sort of doesn't know who you guys are," James rambles. I nudge him to get him to stop.

"So you're the infamous Ava Motta then?" asks the boy with the light brown hair.

"Yup," I say proudly.

"Brilliant," he says. "We've heard wonderful things about you. I'm Remus Lupin."

"And I'm Sirius Black," says the boy with the shaggy hair. "And that lump sleeping in that bed over there-" he points to a bed with curtains drawn. "-is Peter Pettigrew."

"Nice to meet you Remus and Sirius," I say, thinking to myself about how weird their names are. As if reading my mind, Sirius speaks.

"Yeah, my family is kind of obsessed with naming their kids after Greek mythological figures… I have a cousin named Andromeda," he explains.

"Ouch," I say. I look Sirius up and down quickly. I notice something that I hadn't down in the common room: he's like, _ridiculously _cute. If I were one of those giggly girls from Salem or downstairs, I might even call him 'hot.' Oh, crap…

"James, which bed is yours?" I ask.

He points to the one next to Peter's bed. I run over to it and jump onto it. "Night, all," I say, and I pretend to go to sleep.

It's silent for a moment, before I hear footsteps behind me and a huge mass lands on me. "Shit!" I hiss. "James, you fat ass, get off!"

I hear the boys laughing behind us, but James just shrugs the insult off and rolls to my side. His arm is still draped over my stomach, James lying on his stomach while I face the ceiling of his bed.

"You smell good," I hear him mumble into the pillow.

"Don't I always?" I ask conceitedly.

"Umm…no?"

I smack his arm, but otherwise I let it pass. I look up at Remus and Sirius, who are giving us strange looks. I give them a crooked smile.

"Do you two always act like that?" Remus asks.

I laugh softly. "Yeah. We're practically brother and sister, so it's not awkward or anything."

"How 'practically?'" Sirius asks.

"We share the same blood," James answers for me.

"Wait. You two are related?" Remus questions.

"Uh, no, we uhh… we made a pact, of sorts," I say. James chuckles next to me. I smirk, thinking back to that day.

"Explain, please," Black says.

"Well," James begins, looking for the right words. "It was the summer before we started our respective magic schooling, right?" He looks to me for confirmation. I nod my head. "Yeah, and we were worried that we'd drift apart going to new schools and stuff. Of course, we didn't know we weren't muggles, so we thought communication was going to me more difficult than before."

"And I made him promise that no matter what happened during the school year, he would still be the same James when we got back to the cape," I continue.

"And so, we decided that words wouldn't be enough, so we got a knife from the kitchen, and we, well, did it," James finishes. He holds his hand up to show the 'S' I had carved into his hand. I hold up mine, letting them all see the 'J.'

"Whoa…" is all Remus has to say. Sirius just stands there staring at us with this look in his eyes that I can't really place. For a few seconds it's just really quiet, and then Peter snores ridiculously loud. I laugh lightly, and they look at me weirdly.

"What? He snores louder than my mom!" I explain. They're silent again, before James speaks.

"Oh my god, he does! I never realized it before!" It's quiet again. "Okay, I'm going to sleep," James says, and then he rolls over and goes to sleep. Out like a light. My god.

"Right…well…I guess I should get going…" I say slowly, trying to disentangle myself from James.

"Noo…stay…" James mumbles, and his arms tighten around me. Oh, so he's still awake.

Remus and Sirius are still looking at us awkwardly, so I just mumble "Alright then," and roll over. James shuts the curtains, and then I hear the other two get ready for bed. I look at the ceiling of his four-poster, thinking how I definitely made an entrance tonight. Looking back on the day, I'd have to say it was pretty boss. I mean, I get to…go to school with James…as in see him…all. Year. Round. Oh no-JUST KIDDING-that was a psych out!

I look over at James and can't help but feel really, really happy. I know that's the sort of stuff you would read in some trashy romance novel, but trust me, James and I tried that and it _did not work_. It's more of the 'thank god I'm not totally alone in this new school where I know nobody' sort of feeling.

I smiled.

**Sirius' POV**

From what I saw, James and Ava have a really good relationship. I'm jealous. I'm not going to deny it. I am really jealous. James is so lucky. He has a loving family, awesome friends (including yours truly), and the hearts of half the girls at this school. His life is filled with laughter and happiness, and love. He has someone who loves him so much that he add her to his family. I am green with jealousy.

I didn't really think love existed until I met James. He introduced me to a whole rainbow of feelings I didn't know I was capable of feeling. You have to understand now, that my family is one of the few elite pureblood families left. The first eleven years of my life were filled with the words 'mudblood' and 'blood traitor.' I knew all three Unforgivable Curses by age eight. It wasn't because I wanted to; it's what was expected of me. I always thought the extremes my family went to were rather unethical.

My parents and I never really got on well. I was always arguing with them about how they're too enthusiastic about the 'purity of blood' and they always argue that I'm too apathetic about the same topic. But now my 'apathy' has progressed. Now I don't believe that someone's heritage has anything to do with who they are. It's like what Martin Luther King Jr. says: people should be based by the "quality of their character," not the amount of muggle or magic in their blood. Okay, I twisted that a bit, but they're rather closely related.

I don't know many muggleborns closely. Peter and Remus are both halfbloods, and I'm not that friendly with the girls. Getting to know Ava should be, judging by how she acted today, an…adventure. I'm rather excited for tomorrow. I have a whole day to get to know her. I can finally find out if she's as awesome as James described her. Tomorrow should be ex-

OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED SHE HASN'T MET SNIVELLUS! OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN! TOMORROW IS GONNA BE LEGENDARY!

Okay, random excited moment.

Oh my god, _what_ was I thinking when I _mumbled_, not said or proclaimed, mumbled that James didn't do her justice? What is _wrong_ with me? I'm _never _like that with girls. _What is wrong with me??_ I was just –shocked that she looked like that. In all the pictures of her and all the stories did he tell us, not once, _not once_, did James mention how nice she looks with her hair down. I was just totally caught off guard. But I guess I can't let James know that, or he'll _Confringo_ my balls. And, well, we can't have that. My balls are very, very, valuable to me. And in a few years, to a more than a couple girls.

I wonder how the girls will take to her. I'm not sure, because Ava sort of seems like a loose cannon king of girl, whereas Evans, McKinnon, and Macdonald all seem sort of…proper. Well, Evans and Meadows are, but Madison is a grade A slut. But I know she wouldn't like Ava.

Right, so, if you haven't noticed yet, I have a terribly small attention span, and I ramble on about things totally unrelated to the previous topic. Thought I'd just throw that out there.

I sigh, and roll over in the bed to look at the clock. It's 2 AM. Great. Just bloody great. I sigh again.

"You alright over there?" I hear Ava ask.

"Ave, why are you still up?" I ask her.

"Jetlag. Motha of a thing. It's like, ten PM back in Boston."

"Ouch. That sucks."

"Yeah, you're telling me. I've been staring at the ceiling for so long I'm pretty sure I have ADD. And now the ceiling is making patterns…oh crap that's not good…"

I laugh. Well, more like a bark. That's what everybody tells me anyways. I hear the curtains on James' bed open, so I open mine up as well. She walks over to my bed and sits down on the edge, not looking at me. Her hair is up in a bun again, and she looks more like the girl in the picture. There's such a difference between Ava with her hair down and Ava with her hair up. Ava could pass as any ordinary Slytherin with her hair down. She has this look about her that makes her look as if she's better than you and she knows it. But with her hair up, well, she gives off a totally different vibe. She seems more carefree and happy. But either way she looks…good.

Ava looks up at me then looks down again. "Sirius?" she asks.

"Yeah?"

"Uhh…this is a little awkward…but…well, what did you mean when James said he didn't do me justice?" she says quickly. Oh, awkward, I was kind of hoping could just forget that never happened…

"Oh…er…that little thing? Uhm, yeah, well he never mentioned how…" I pause trying to find the right word that won't make this completely awkward beyond repair.

"Drop dead gorgeous?" she fills in for me jokingly.

"Yeah, sure. He never really mentioned how ni-"

"-Drop dead gorgeous-"

"-_nice_ you look with your hair down. In all the pictures you have your hair up."

"Oh. Well, alright then. That's just a little awkward…" She falls over so she's lying on her side with her back to me. Then she says quietly "You called me Ave."

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Oh, it's just that," she pauses. Oh, did I say something wrong? Bah, I have no tact.

"Well, not many people call me that… I'd rather not talk about it, actually."

"Okay," I say, nodding my head.

"But don't feel like the nickname is off limits or anything," she says as she gets up. "Well, good night, then."

"Yeah. 'Night." I watch her crawl back into James' bed, before it's silent again, and I'm left to my thoughts once more.

Well. Ava seems to have a bit of a mystery about her. Why did she freak when I called her Ave? As I ponder possible scenarios that could have created this aversion to my nickname for her, I feel my eyes begin to droop. Eventually, I fall asleep, but I can't help but wonder what skeletons Ava has in her closet.

--

**And there it is. Chapter 2. Out much faster than my last story that sort of crashed and burned… there was a 3 month wait for that one…yeah. So, now that I'm done with school (YUSSIR!), updates should be coming maybe… every few weeks. ******** So the song I used as the chapter title is 'That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)' by Panic at the Disco. It's from their new album 'Pretty. Odd.' You should check it out. It's an awesome album. Also, the song used in the last chapter is 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman.**

_**Next time on The Story:**_

_**-Ava's first day**_

_**-Ava meets Professor McGonagall and the girls (should be fun)**_

**-Friar**

**Ok, so I bet you're all expecting something from marge/wicked, aren't you? Well, b/c my idiot beta is off in her own little world doing god knows what, I had to edit this chapter myself ******** so sorry if it's not up to par. I sort of wrote Sirius' POV in about an hour and a half, and then I went back and read it over and it was rather all over the place… so enough of me rambling… whoa, I haven't used the 'r' word yet! Go self!! Friar out.**


	4. Chapter 3: It's My Life

Disclaimer: See last chapter if it's that important to you.

The Story

Chapter 3: It's My Life

I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd  
You're gonna hear my voice  
When I shout it out loud  
It's my life

**Sirius' POV**

_James points his wand at Snivellus, and murmurs _"Cadob." _We watch as Snape falls in what seems slow motion down the flight of stairs and lands right in front of the Great Hall. We laugh and walk into the Hall, only to be met with a thunderous screech of "POTTER!" We just keep laughing. McGonagall keeps yelling at us. "POTTER! POTTER WAKE UP!" Wait, wake up?_

Slowly I open my eyes, wondering who woke me up from my wonderful dream. I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes, and see McGonagall yelling herself hoarse at…James and Ava. James is smiling sheepishly while Ava has buried her face into the pillow so McGonagall won't see her laughing.

"Despicable! Potter, I know you lean the wrong way on the moral values scale, but to-to-_deflower_ this poor girl-" but she doesn't finish, because James, Ave, and I all burst out laughing. Ave falls off the bed, which just makes us all laugh harder. McGonagall stutters, probably wondering why the students she was previously yelling at are now undermining her by laughing. Having usually been looked at with frightened glances and being spoken to with spoken stuttering, unsure voices, I doubt she knows how to handle _this_ particular situation.

"_What_ do you three find so funny about this?" she asks angrily. We continue to laugh, but Ava seems to be taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Well, let me explain, professor. My name is Ava Motta, but you probably knew that already. Umm, so here's the dealio. Me and James, here, have know each other since we were in diapers. We best friends, practically brother and sister, really. So, there was really no 'deflowering'" she says with air quotes "last night. I mean, we're both fully clothed. And, I have standards. I mean look at him!" She pauses to look shortly at James, as does McGonagall. "And well, James doesn't really meet those standards. Never. In a million bajillion years. So, really, you have nothing to worry about. There's nothing but a completely platonic feelings between me and James. Me and James-just-no, never."

"Thanks, Ava. I really appreciate you proclaiming to McGonagall how disgusting I am to you," James says.

"Just getting my point across."

"Alright, well, use discretion," McGonagall says before leaving.

"What was that?" I ask, speaking for the first time.

"Probably the most awkward experience I will ever have here," James and Ave both say at the same time.

"Jinx, you owe me…something to be decided at a later point in time!" Ave yells, pointing at James and jumping up and down excitedly.

"Av-" he starts.

"NO! You must not make words with your mouth until I get what I want…and I will let you know what that is as soon as I figure it out for myself. Well," she looks down at her clothes. "I should probably go get dressed. Uh, wanna meet me in the common room in like, ten minutes or so?"

"Yeah, meet you there," I say for myself and James.

Ave skips out of the room and downstairs like she hasn't a care in the world about what's about to happen. Then she sticks her head back in.

"You can talk again. Just be ready for me to tell _all_ of your embarrassing stories."

**Ava's POV**

Well. That was sufficiently awkward. What a way to wake up too. I mean, how often do you get this old woman-teacher waking you up by yelling at your friend for 'deflowering' you during the night. Damn, I wish I had my camera. I giggle lightly to myself.

I step out into the common room and the few students already up early give me this completely disgusted look. What, do they not like Americans? My go-

Oh _crap_. I just walked down the _boys_ staircase wearing the same clothes I was wearing last night. Oh…everyone thinks I'm a slut now. Great.

Right. Well, moving on…

I walk up the girls staircase to my dorm to find four other girls rushing around, getting ready for the day. One had red hair, two were blonde, and the last one was a brunette, like moi. They all stop what they're doing when I walk in.

The redhead speaks first. "Oh…are you the survivor from America?" she asks.

"Yup," I say, walking over to my trunk to take out my shudder uniform. At Salem we could always where what we want, and I refuse to just blend in to the rest of Hogwarts community.

Without looking at the other girls, I walk into the bathroom and lock the door.

The girls stared at me as if I was some kind of monster, some freak from a different planet. Newsflash, girls, North America is a _continent_, not a _planet_.

Once my uniform is on my body, I take a good long look at myself, wondering what I can do to a) make myself look good and 2) totally make a statement. I decide to shorten the skirt so it's at about mid-thigh-ish length, and I play with the button-down shirt (With magic of course. Do you expect me to do these things _manually_?) so that it's a tad bit more fitted.

"Lovely," I murmur to myself. "Something's still missing though…" I continue, tapping my wand against my chin. AHA! I have the perfect idea. If I wanna make a statement, then that statement's going to be big. These Brits will be blown away by how badass I am.

I brush my teeth, give myself one more once over in the mirror, then stroll out of the bathroom, oozing confidence. Humming happily to myself, I pick up my bag, drop my wand in my pocket, and strut my stuff down the girls staircase. All the time I feel the glares of my roomies on my back. But I don't look back; I know their opinions aren't worth my time.

**Sirius' POV**

I hear heavy feet stumble their way down the girls' staircase.

"Ah, there she is," James says, referring to Ave. When she walks over to us, I notice she's very different than the girl I met last night. Before she was something of a tomboy, but now she looks like a rebel. No joke. Now she has all of her clothes fitted tightly. Her sleeves are rolled up to her elbows, her tie is loosened, and she's wearing sneakers. They have a double tongue, and the front part is folded over the shoelaces. Which brings me to another thing: one of her shoelaces is _bright green_. And her hair is down again, but now it's straightened, and her bangs fall into her eyes. The way she smirks and struts towards us, I can't help but think _My god, where does she get this confidence?_

"What, am I late?" she asks, checking her wrist to look at her watch, then letting her arm fall as she realizes she doesn't _have_ a watch.

"A bit, yeah. But it's to be expected I suppose," he says as we start to walk out the portrait hole.

"Excuse me, _why_ exactly is it 'to be expected?'" she asks, a bit of playful indignation in her voice.

"Why, silly, because you're a girl, of course!"

"Gee, Jamie, I didn't know! You sure are one sharp cookie!" she says to James with a baby voice slightly reminiscent of my cousin Bellatrix.

"Wait a minute," I say. "Jamie?"

James flushes a light pink. "Yeah, it's her nickname for me. I call her Avery, which I realize might not work now…"

"What? Why?" Ave asks, looking disappointed.

"There's this prick in Slytherin that's name is Avery… he's in our year. You'll know him when you see him. He has terrible teeth."

"Oh, lovely!"

"Umm, why?" asks Remus.

"Imagine the kind of fun we can have with that! C'mon, I've heard the stories about you four! Jamie tells me you call yourselves the Marauders, and that you're the biggest pranksters in the school! Imagine the possibilities!" By now Ava is smiling and gesturing wildly with her hands and bouncing all over the place.

We talk about how the school runs, and who to look out for during the rest of the walk down to the Great Hall. When we walked in the Hall was unusually packed. It looked like most of the school was already here. We're pretty late; usually most of the school has already headed off to class by now.

Professor Dumbledore stands up and motions for Hall to be quiet. "Students, faculty, I assume by now most of you have heard of the terrible attacks on the magic American schools. Well, we have one student from each school. Ava, Samuel, if you could come up here please?" Ava stops trying to hide behind me and Peter and groans lightly. I see her stand up on her tiptoes looking for somebody I guess. When a boy with dirty blonde hair stands up at the Ravenclaw table, Ave runs over to him and gives him a big hug and ruffles his hair.

"Who's that?" I ask James, nudging him in the stomach.

"Her cousin, Sam," he says, before he begins to walk over to the Gryffindor table. By the time we're seated, Ava and her cousin are standing at the front of the Hall, standing awkwardly behind Professor Dumbledore. And it's not awkward because the majority of this school has never seen these strangers before; it's awkward because of the huge height difference. Ave only comes up to Dumbledore's chin, and Sam -right?- only comes up to Ave's nose. I smirk, and wave to her. Ave grimaces at me in return and lightly pats her middle finger against her thigh. This time I laugh out loud a bit, and the people around give me a weird look.

"Now, Ava Motta is a third year in Gryffindor-" he pauses, allowing us to cheer and whoop happily while the Slytherin table hisses and boos. "-and her cousin, Samuel Motta is a fifth year in Ravenclaw. Would you two like to say anything to the community?"

Ave and Sam share an incredulous look before they both say "No," shaking their heads.

"Well, let me rephrase that; Ava, Sam, why don't you tell a little about yourselves," he says, smiling sweetly. At this James and I can barely contain our laughter. His head is on the table and his shoulders are shaking, and I am biting my knuckles so hard that I'm pretty sure I've drawn blood.

Ave sees the entire school looking at them expectantly, then shoves Sam forward, muttering "Age before beauty," which draws some laughter from the school, and causes Remus to snort in a completely un-Remus-like way.

Sam stands before the entire school scratching the back of his neck. "Well, you know most of what you need to know about me, so I guess I have nothing else to say other than that I'm from Buffalo, New York and that I went to Merlin's Academy for Wizardry at Utica…and that's about it." And he walks back to Ave and Dumbledore.

Ave takes a step forward, and a few people start whispering and pointing at her. A first year next to me says "That's the American that fought off Voldemort! She must be some kind of super human." I shot him a glare and he shut up quickly. Ave takes another step forward before clearing her throat.

"I know you've all read about me. I'm the lone survivor, I know. I saw you all whisper when you heard my name called. I saw you all nudge your friends and point at me. What, do you think I don't see it? I know it's not going to stop. You're all going to keep gossiping about me, how I survived, and all sorts of other aspects of my personal life. Well, I wish you wouldn't. You're making my life at Hogwarts a soap opera and I haven't even been here more than twenty-four hours." She pauses, and the hall is dead silent. "I'm not saying I want to be invisible. I just want to be treated like a normal Hogwarts student. Is that too much to ask?"

**Ava's POV**

When I'm finished with my speech –which I've gotta say, is pretty damn awesome –I walk down the stairs and sit by the Marauders. I grab a pile of toast and plop it on my face, and then I pour myself a glass of apple juice. I take a bite of toast and look up around me. _Everyone_ is staring at me.

"_What_?" I snap. I really have no time for this. The people I don't know quickly go back to whatever it is that they were doing before Dumbledore interrupted. Peter and Remus started talking about god knows what, and Sirius and James both shoot me a questioning glance before eating.

I sigh. Great, already I'm starting to push away my friends. I did this at Salem too. It was part of the reason they didn't really like me that much. But whatever. I hardly ever talk about my feelings.

"So…do you guys play Quidditch?" I ask, trying to soothe the tension. Immediately the mood lightened, and James and Sirius started talking on and on about Gryffindor's chances this year. James played chaser, and next year Sirius planned on trying out for beater next year.

"Wait…Ava, do you play?" James asked as if in awe that I could.

"Pfft, duh! I've been the keeper on Salem's team since my first year there. Playing goalie on my soccer team really helps. I just had to adjust to the whole flying thing."

"Oh my god! You have to try out next year! The keeper this year is leaving next year, and the spot will be open, and all three of us will be on the team and it'll be legendary!" James yells, jumping up and down next to me. By now we've gotten up and start walking to our first class, whatever that is.

"Excuse me, did you just say 'legendary?'" I ask disbelievingly.

"Umm, yes, is that a problem?"

"Only the fact that just this past summer you called me –oh, what British terminology did you use –ah yes, a bloody prat for using it. And here you are, using it in your everyday vocabulary. Aren't you a little hypocrite?" I say, pinching his cheeks.

He smacks my hands away from his face in a very girly way, before we arrive outside a classroom.

"So…what class do we have now?" I ask.

James opens his mouth to answer, but the girl with the red hair comes and inserts herself between me and James. Lovely.

"We have Transfiguration now. Here's your schedule. McGonagall told me to give it to you. She teaches this class, f.y.i. Also, we-" she gestured to the girls behind her that she was with this morning "-would like for you to sit with us today." Uh…

"I'm sorry, do I even know your name?" I ask.

"Oh, sorry, excuse me. I'm Lily Evans, and these are-"

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE REAL?" I scream, pointing at her face. She looks so shocked. Awkward…maybe I should explain myself. "Um, sorry, it's just…ah, Jamie here talks about you non-stop during the summer. He doesn't shut up. _Everything_ reminds him of you. The red of the CVS sign is like the red of your hair, the green of my Celtics shirt is like the green of your eyes -which are striking, by the way –anyway. I'm just...it's a pleasure to meet you," I ramble, then stick out my hand for her to shake. Instead, the prissy little snob puts my schedule in my hand. I scowl, before turning around and walking into the classroom.

Everyone else is already seated, and there aren't many seats left. There's one with that Evans girl –um, pass, thanks –and one next to Sirius. Looks like the universe has my mind made up for me.

I crash into the seat as gracefully as possible (very ungraceful) and shoot him a quick smile. He smirks back, and I grab a pen and my Transfiguration binder out of my bag.

"What's that?" asks Sirius, pointing to my pen and binder.

"Well, what does it look like?" I ask. Honestly, does he really not know what a _pen_ is? I look around, and everyone is using quills and parchment. I'm sorry, are we stuck in the dark ages?

"Some sort of torture device…" he mumbles, while examining my binder.

"Gimme that," I say, and snatch it back. "It's something that keeps my notes organized, and this, a _pen_ is what I write with. It's a modern quill, kind of."

Sirius opens his mouth to say something, but the McGonagall woman walks in.

"Everyone, we'll be learning some very advanced Transfiguration for third years today. You will be transfiguring a pillow into a wooden chest. Extra points for more intricate designs. Get to work." I open the book and start looking for the incantation. Sirius leans in and starts talking to me.

"So, you do work, do you?" he asks me, leaning back in his seat.

"Shocker, I know, right?" I reply, giving him a cheeky smile before getting us two pillows. On my way back to our desk I smack James in the back of the head with my pillow, who yelps in surprise. I laugh and jog back to Sirius. As I sit down next to him I say "But I do know how to have fun. I mean, I've known James since as long as I can remember. It would be…unnatural if I hadn't picked up a thing or two from him." I nod my head at James, who looked over when I said his name. "Right, well, let's get down to business, shall we?"

I turn in my seat to face my pillow before crossing my legs underneath me Indian-style.

"Is that your underwear?" Sirius ask, pointing at my spandex.

"Oh, no, actually…awkward…so these are my spandex. They're like barely-there shorts that keep people from seeing my actual underwear while I bounce off the walls and such." Wow, this is a really awkward conversation…

He nods before going to work on his pillow. I decide to do the same, and within ten minutes, I have a large wooden trunk sitting in front of me with the American flag carved on the top. Woo, go Americans!

"Lovely work, Miss Motta. Fifteen points to Gryffindor, then. The homework's on the board if you want to get started." I nod, smirking, before getting out my planner and writing down the homework.

"Oh, no, you have a planner?" Sirius asks disappointedly.

"Wha-yes, is that a problem?" I ask.

"You just keep becoming more and more…Remus-like," he says. I hear Remus yell "OI!" indignantly from across the classroom, but I'm not really paying attention.

"Define 'Remus-like' for me, please."

"Studious, nerd like, goody-two shoes. I can keep going if you want." He leans back in his chair lazily, smirking at me. That is such a James thing.

I open my mouth to reply when Remus comes over to our table. "I will have you know, that I am not a nerd, nor a goody-two shoes. I get more detentions than you, you know."

"You made that up!" Sirius responds.

"Withdrawn," Remus mumbles angrily.

"Lawyered," Sirius yells, slapping the table. The entire time I just look on with a dazed expression. That is what James and I do!

"Did you guys pick this up from James?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah. Did he bring one of your 'things' across the pond?" Sirius answers, using air quotes when he says 'things'.

"Yeah…"

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black! Stop harassing Miss Motta and get back to work!" McGonagall yells from the front of the classroom. I smirk, and open my textbook to do my homework. Although I was woken up at an ungodly hour this morning by a very scary woman, I think this is gonna be a good day.

.:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:.

So I was wrong. Today _sucked_. Or at least, lunch and onward sucked. I had crazy Sirius Black fan girls following me around, giving me the hairy eye and such. After lunch I had potions, which could've been fun if the teacher, Slughorn, hadn't paired me with that Avery kid. Remember how earlier I said it would be fun? Yeah, well, I was wrong. Here's why Avery is the _worst_ possible person to _ever_ get paired with:

1) He's a prejudiced asshole.

2) I am 99 sure he is illiterate, because that is the only logical reason I can think of for why he mistook clockwise for drink. He may be deaf too, because I was reading the directions _out loud to him_. Seriously, just…who _does _that?

3) I am seriously debating that if number two isn't true, he is mentally challenged and/or unhinged.

So. After potions, I had what I _thought_ would be my best class: History of Magic. It was my best class at Salem, and it's my favorite. I love learning about things set in stone, because I know that no matter what, they'll be the same in twenty years or so. I mean, some goblin rebellion isn't going to turn into the infamous flight of the goblins. However…

"_Class, take out your notes. Today we will be studying…" but I don't hear the rest. I just found out that the teacher of my favorite subject was a –wait for it –ghost. Yeah. Well, this is gonna be an experience._

_So I took out my notes and luckily for me, Hogwarts was picking up where Salem left off. I got my pen ready and then I heard his voice. Oh my god, I heard his voice and I fell asleep after ten minutes. It took me ten minutes to fall asleep _because of his voice. _All because of how he spoke. Luckily for me, James nudged me in the stomach, and then I got right back to note taking. However, I kept falling asleep throughout class. Eventually, I just gave up and went to sleep. Everyone else was, and I couldn't be bothered to try and stay awake. I am still jet-lagged, just so you know._

And that was my first ever Hogwarts-style History of Magic. Oh, and get this: I have to take the class for the rest of my academic career if I want to be a lawyer. Fan-freaking-tastic

So, now it's after dinner, and I'm just hanging out with the boys in the common room, doing homework and all that fun stuff.

"Is anyone doing the History of Magic homework tonight?" Peter asks.

We all look at him before he realizes the answer. "Right, stupid question…'course not…duh," he says, before turning back to some other homework.

It's quiet a bit more until the girls from my dorm come up to us. Ahh, Lily Evans!

James gets up, ruffles his hair, and puts on this manly voice. "Hey, Evans, guess what!"

"What, Potter?" she asks exasperatedly.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip coming up soon…but since I know you don't like crowds and that sort of fun stuff-" sighs and rolls her eyes, hands on her hips and the like. "-I was thinking we could just go straight to a broom cupboard …or maybe even my dorm?" he asks hopefully, although trying to be shudder sexy at the same time. Evans walks up to James, looking all shy and coy and then-

SMACK! Bahahaha, she just smacked Jamie across the face. I laugh out loud, while Evans starts chewing James out. Hehehehe.

"Don't you _dare_ suggest I should join you to some small, dark, enclosed space alone! I would never do anything of that sort with you, you arrogant bullying toe rag!" She smacks him again and runs up the stairs to our dorm.

"Hehe, Jamie, you got smacked!" I say, pointing and laughing. Everyone else around us is laughing lightly, or is really laughing if they go by the name of Sirius Black.

"James, I have a question," I ask a few minutes later after everyone has calmed down.

"What?" he asks sullenly, apparently still sore about being smacked. And being called an 'arrogant, bullying toe rag.'

"Umm, so why did Evans call you an 'arrogant bullying toe rag?'" I ask.

James and Sirius look at each other guiltily before Remus answers.

"They have made it their life goal to make Severus Snape's life as miserable as possible," he drawls, while mapping out some stars for Divination.

"Why would yo- OH MY GOD! SNAPE IS REAL TOO? WHY DIDN"T YOU TELL ME?" I yell, jumping up and getting really excited.

"Did you honestly think someone like _James_ could be creative enough to come up with a character like Snape?" Sirius asks.

"Probably not, no," I reply, smiling. "So why do you make his life miserable?"

"Well, for one, he's a Slytherin. Also, he's best friends with Lily Evans, which makes James here jealous to an unhealthy degree. And lastly, well, he's just such an easy target," Sirius counts off.

I don't know what to say. I mean, I guess I'll have to see them in action before I make any judgments, but it just sounds like Lily Evans is shudders right…and I don't want that to happen.

Instead of saying anything, I just smile and nod while they tell me stories of how they make Severus Snape's Life a life a living hell. Suddenly I felt sad for Evans, having her best friend be in the enemy house, and being tormented by your house mates. That must suck.

Suffice it to say, it's been an interesting day. Somehow I get the feeling that life at Hogwarts is going to be anything but peaceful.

--

**Well. There you have it. Chapter 3. Out pretty quickly, huh? I know I said a few weeks in the last chapter, but I had time to kill on the airplane and in the airport and in the hotel(s)…so it's done. WOOOOO! OH AND GUESS WHAT! THE CELTICS JUST WON THEIR FIRST NBA TITLE IN 22 YEARS!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GO CELTICS YEAH!! Ok, I'm don-SUCK IT L.A.! Ok, now I'm really done. So I actually have no idea how long it'll take for the next chapter, because I honestly have very little idea what I'm goin- just kidding, I know what it's gonna be. But you'll find out in approximately 2-5 minutes, depending on how good of a reader you are…or how badly I'm estimating…. So unless you've been living under a rock for the past twenty years or so, the song I used this chapter was 'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi.**

_**Next Time on The Story:**_

_**-meeting Snape and the other girls in 3**__**rd**__** year**_

_**-Lily's b-day**_

_**-Hogsmeade Valentine's trip**_

**So, if you want a teaser for next chapter, all you have to do is review! So, yeah, do that…**

**Friar out.**


	5. Chapter 4: Single

Disclaimer: Not mine… yet. Muahahahahaha. Jkjk, this actually belongs to the dust bunnies that live under my bed. Except, not…because unfortunately for me, the rights to Harry Potter still belong to J.K. Rowling.

The Story

Chapter 4: Single

Everything in its right time  
Everything in its right place  
I know I'll settle down one day  
But 'til then I like it this way...

**Sirius' POV**

I watch Ave's face as we talk about Snivellus. She's smiling and nodding and laughing, but it seems a little…forced.

"Sirius? Is something wrong?" she asks, leaning into my face and waving a hand in front of me.

"Yeah, why?" I ask.

"You looked like someone just told you you were going to die in twenty-four hours." I just might if you make friends with Snape and Evans.

"Oh. Uh, well, um…" I stutter, unable to create a full sentence.

"Right, well, I'll get back to you on that," she says, giving me a weird look, before going back to her conversation with James and Remus.

"…And his hair is really greasy, so you'll have to watch out for that. The glare is blinding!" James yells, gesturing wildly. Ava laughs at this.

"Well, how do you know his hair isn't just really shiny?"

"Because your hair shines and I know that yours isn't greasy. You took a shower last night!"

"True, true. Bah, I suppose I should start on this Transfiguration essay, don't chya think?"

"God, Ava, you do homework?" James asks disbelievingly.

"What? Why does everyone automatically assume that I don't do work?" Ava complains, her voice going up a few octaves.

"…because you don't…" James says slowly. We all laugh and Ava pouts.

"Don't worry, Ava. It'll be nice to have someone in the group who actually does work," Remus says.

"Thank you, Remus. At least some people value academic-ness…" Ava trails off at the end, unable to finish her sentence. We all laugh some more. She takes out her Transfiguration band-aid (?) and begins writing about the properties of changing a pillow into a chest.

Once she has become absorbed in her work, I turn to Remus. "You feeling alright, Rem?" I ask him. Remus is a werewolf, and the full moon was yesterday. He usually gets tired during the couple days before and after the full moon.

"Yeah…I've been on a constant sugar high all night, so I'm feeling pretty good." I laugh at his response while he takes another bite of his chocolate bar and turns back to his essay.

I look around and see a huge commotion over by the notice board, so I get up and go over to see what's up. As I walk over a decent amount of cute girls wink at me and wave, but I just ignore them. I'm only fourteen, and I'd rather be with my friends than some girl who only likes me for my face.

When I get to the notice board I see a notice for the next Hogsmeade trip. This'll be great! Ava will learn the ways of the Marauders and that fun stuff!

Before I'm even back at our couch I'm yelling my plans to them. "Guys! There's gonna be a Hogsmeade trip! We need to show Ava how everything…works!" I yell excitedly.

"Oh yay fun! When is it, Sirius?" Ava yells back. Oh, right, the date. Hehe, that would be useful. I wheel around back to the notice board only to find that the date is…

**Ava's POV**

"Valentine's Day?" Sirius yells from the bulletin board. Haha, he looks so bewildered… if only you could see his face you would piss yourself laughing. True fact.

"Well, what's so wrong with that?" James asks.

"Well, you know how all the girls like me and stuff?" he asks.

"Yeah?" James replies at the same time I yell "WHY?" just to be annoying.

"What do you mean, 'why?' I'm beautiful! Haven't you noticed?" he asks, hurt that I 'haven't noticed.' Of course I noticed. Who wouldn't? He's a freaking god for Christ's sake!

"Are you?" I pretend to look him over. "I really haven't noticed I guess."

He growls before turning back to James. I smirk. I love my life.

"Well, all the girls are gonna be all over me and I won't have a moment's peace and they simply will not accept the fact that I have no interest in them!" He ends his rant breathing heavily, which I don't get because it wasn't that long...

"Oh no! That must be so terrible for you! You poor thing, having the affections of all the girls and leaving none for us? I feel so bad for you, you poor little bast-" Remus drawls sarcastically, before Sirius threw my Transfiguration at him.

"Hey! Give that back!" I yell, but I'm ignored by the two boys.

"What were you going to call me?" Sirius asks angrily, but I can tell he's playing around. When Remus doesn't answer and just throws _my_ Transfiguration book back at him, Sirius says in a stereotypical tough guy voice "Yeah, I thought so." Oh, and then he threw my Transfiguration book back Remus.

"Christ! Abuse your own books!" I yell.

God, this common room is so loud. I can't concentrate at all. "Is there somewhere quiet I can go to do my work? The noise level in this place is ridiculous," I complain. Remus' face lights up almost immediately.

"Yes! We have a library on the fourth floor that I like to go to but usually can't because these morons don't want to 'ruin their reputations!'" Remus exclaims, using air quotes when he says 'ruin their reputations.

"Oo, wanna go?" I ask.

Remus nods his head at the exact same time Sirius and Jamie speak. James yells "No, you can't become a nerd like Remus!" while Sirius shouts "Don't leave me alone with _James_!" Remus glares at James who in turn glares at Sirius who in turn looks at me with the most adorable puppy dog pout I've ever seen… but that's too bad.

"C'mon, Remus, let's blow this popsicle stand," I say in a posh voice before dragging him out the portrait hole.

"So, the fourth floor, you said?" I ask him.

"Yep."

"Well, then, lead the way," I gesture in front of me.

I finish the rest of my homework in the library, and for the next few weeks, that's where we spend our evenings, doing homework. A routine began. I would sleep in James' bed at night, and in the morning I would head to the girls' dorms to get ready. Then I would have breakfast and go to classes. After dinner, Remus and I would head to the library where we did our homework. At about 9:30 or ten-ish, we would go back to the common room and hang out with the boys. Sometimes one of them would come with us to the library, and every time we walked back to the common room we took a different route. My _god_, the castle is _humongous_.

The Valentines' Day Hogsmeade trip drew ever closer, I received no requests to go to Hogsmeade. Figures. But I know I'm intimidating. I'm humongous, standing tall and proud at 5' 9". I'm friends with the most popular boys in the school. I'm foreign. Oh and I fought off Voldemort too. I'm a package deal.

But I'll live. I'm only fourteen, and I've only been here a month or so. Instead of going fishing for dates, we've all decided we'd spend the day together. Besides, James has asked Evans at least 20 times (and I'm not exaggerating) to go with him to Hogsmeade, but she is stubborn as a mule.

Which is why, the Friday before the trip, I was very disappointed to learn that Remus, Peter, and James had gotten themselves in detention for all of Saturday while Sirius and I were in Ancient Runes. This leaves me with a very awkward not-date with Sirius Black. The conversation the day before was enough to tell me that Saturday would be interesting.

**Sirius' POV**

Ava and I sat next to each other on the couch by the fireplace in the common room, not looking at each other. We both stared straight ahead, each of us keeping to our own thoughts, until the common room was empty.

"We are going to Hogsmeade tomorrow," Ava began.

"Yes."

"By ourselves."

"Yes."

"And it will look very much like a date."

"Yes."

"But we will continue on as if nobody's there."

"Yes."

"Just one student helping a new student get the lay of the la-" But I cut her off, slightly frustrated.

"Why do you have such an aversion to being with just me in public, Ava?" I ask.

She looks at me, nervous about giving an answer. She mumbles something incoherent, then starts talking about all the shops she's heard about.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Can you repeat the first part," I ask, knowing it's not what she wants to do.

"I'm slightly afraid of your fan girls…" she says looking at her hands now.

"And why's that?" I ask, amused now. What's to be afraid of? They're all blond bimboes with nothing but air between their ears.

"Well… I may or may not have received a very strongly worded threat this morning signed '_The Sirius Black Fan Club_.'"

Uh… "May I see this note please?"

She hands me the note, refusing to look at my face. I'm still grinning from the absolute absurdity of this situation.

_Ava Motta,_

_Let this be a warning, not a threat, that Sirius Black is NOT YOURS. _

_He belongs to us, and if you so much as touch him, we will come after you with curses worse than those you dealt with when fighting You-Know-Who._

_We'll be watching you._

_You have been warned._

_The Sirius Black Fan Club._

Well… now I am just speechless. I sit back in the couch, thinking about this recent development. Something clicks in my head, and I jump up.

"Oh my god!" I yell.

"What, what?" Ava yells back.

"This is perfect!"

"Uh… wanna explain?"

"Well, they'll be watching us. They said so. So we could use this opportunity to-to… let the girls know that I'm _not_ interested."

"Yeah, well, that's great for you, Sirius, but I'm going to be killed in my sleep if they see you alone with me at Hogsmeade…"

"Oh calm down! You're overreacting! You wanna see Hogsmeade, don't you?"

"Yes…"

"Then we'll go together and I'll show you everything! But we'll make it look like a date so those girls will leave me alone! It's brilliant!"

She's quiet for a moment before she answers. "Go to bed." Wait, what?

"Why?"

She stands up smirking. As she starts to walk towards our dorm she calls over her shoulder, "You're gonna need all the beauty sleep you can get if you wanna be within a ten foot radius of _me_ tomorrow at Hogsmeade."

--

**I am so very very sorry for the very very long wait. I was busy, and then I procrastinated, and then I had writer's block… but I just banged this one out cuz I felt really really guilty. :-( So I know I promised meeting Snape and Lily's birthday, but I wanted to get this one out quickly before I went away to camp. So… I seem to have an average of one reviewer per chapter (though your reviews are very inspiring) I would so love just another reader to join in… even if you hate it… So the song I used for this chapter **_**Single**_**, by Natasha Bedingfield. So… tha-th-tha-that-th-tha-th-that-that-that's all folks!**

_**Next Time on the Story:**_

_**-Sirius and Ava's trip to Hogsmeade which will include:**_

_**--meeting Snape**_

_** --Lily Evans' fourteenth birthday party**_

_**-April Fool's Day?**_

**So review if you want a quote from next chapter!**

**-Friar**


	6. Chapter 5: First Date

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, would I kill off a character as wonderfully gorgeous as Sirius Black?

Chapter 5: First Date

When you smile, I melt inside  
I'm not worthy for one minute of your time  
I really wish it was only me and you  
I'm jealous of everybody in the room

**Ava's POV**

Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I'm going on a not-date with Sirius Black, the boy on every girls' mind. But everyone else is going to think it's a _real _date. Ergo, I am _so screwed._ Can someone _please_ explain to me _why_ I agreed to this suicide mission?

So I'm just lying in bed while I listen to Sirius get ready for our 'date.' James, Remus, and Peter have already left for detention.

"Sirius, are you done yet? I need to go get ready," I say.

"Yeah, I'm decent. Come on out," he says.

I pull back the curtains around James' bed, and see Sirius leaning over his trunk looking for something. I slide out of the bed and head towards the door. "I'll meet you downstairs, then?" I asked.

He looked over at me while still bent over. His face was red; from leaning over I guess…you know how all the blood rushes to your head…

"Uh, y-yeah, see you down there," he replies before turning back to his trunk.

Back in my dorm, which is thankfully empty, I take out a few different items of clothing. This should be interesting, since I'm not that good at matching things and stuff…

So I'm definitely wearing jeans. That's a no-brainer. I'm just going to wear boots because it is _freezing_ outside. Shirts though…that will be a problem. I eventually decide on a fitted long-sleeve t-shirt with a slight v-neck, but it's nothing too risqué… and I finally grab my ski parka because it's the only thing _warm _enough for this weather. I grab my bag, and head downstairs, even though I feel like I'm forgetting something. On the way down, I pass Marlene McKinnon and Paige Madison, both scowling at me. I think they might be part of _The Sirius Black Fan Club_… but that's just a hunch.

"Ladies," I nod my head at them while I pass. Oh, they are _not_ happy with me.

Sirius is waiting for me by the portrait hole, and he looks pretty nervous.

I walk over to him and say "Hey Sir-oh my god, I remember what I forgot. Hang on, don't move, I'll be right back!" I sprinted back upstairs and grabbed a hat and sprinted back downstairs. Sirius is standing in the same spot, except he looks more nervous than ever.

**Sirius' POV**

Ava is still asleep. I'm trying to be as quiet as possible, so as to not wake her up. I'm rummaging through my trunk looking for my money bag when Ava asks me if I'm ready. After I give the affirmative, I hear the hangings around James' bed move. I look at her while I'm still bending over my trunk and _oh my god_ does she look…drop dead gorgeous. She had on these short shorts but they flowed out instead of clinging to her legs, and her shirt did the same thing. I flushed but I don't think she knew the reason, because she just gave me a funny look before saying she'd meet me downstairs and walked out.

I sit on my bed trying to calm down while I tie my shoelaces. I grab my jacket and put it on over my sweatshirt before running downstairs.

Oh man oh man oh man I am so nervous. What if I screw something up? I rather like being friends with Ava, and if I do something wrong… well, let's just say I'll have to learn to sleep with my eyes open at night.

I look up and see Ava walking over. She starts saying hello, before yelling some garbled string of words at me before turning around and leaving. Oh no. What did I do? Before I can even run after her though, she's back with a wool hat on her head. _Ohhh_.

"Ready to go?" she asks me with an anxious look on her face.

"Yeah, let's get this over with," I say, and we walk out of Gryffindor Tower towards our immediate doom… socially speaking of course. We walk down to the Great Hall in a comfortable silence until Ava unexpectedly grabs my hand.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"Well this is a 'date,' right?" she says looking up at me. "And don't couples hold hands when they go on dates?"

"Well, yes…"

"Then what's the problem?" she asks, but the end of her question is drowned out- or emphasized, really- by our arrival at the silent Great Hall. Everyone is looking at us, and a few people have gasped.

"That's the problem."

**Ava's POV**

It's to be expected of course. I'm sure they think that when the most desirable male at this school finally decides to enter a relationship it would be with someone more… appropriate. I am hardly appropriate. But that's why this will work. Hopefully the girls will leave him alone once they realize he would rather go out with me than them, a concept they would find as baffling as I would.

I pull him towards the Gryffindor table all the girls we pass are glaring at me, while all the boys look confused.

"What are we doing now?" he asks me agitatedly, as if he doesn't enjoy the attention. Please, he's a _Marauder_, it's a two for one deal.

"We're going to go eat breakfast, you know that meal that all our parents and doctors tell us is the most important. From what I've seen so far here, you quite enjoy it."

"But it's almost noon, why don't we just head into Hogsmeade?" he asks, begs practically.

"Because I'm already sitting down!" I say.

"But Ava," he says, fixing me with the most adorable puppy dog pout I have _ever _seen, "All the good Zonko's stuff will be gone by the time we get down there!" He throws himself onto the bench next to me in desperation.

"Zonko's?" I ask.

"Oh my god. Right, I forgot you were new. Well, grab your breakfast, today's gonna be a long day," he says dismissively, and just walks away. He legitimately left me here. Some date. So I grab some toast and a glass of juice and run after him.

"Hey, wait for me!" I yell at him. He turns around at me with a knowing little smirk on his face. Oh, he so played me.

"How dare you manipulate me to get me away from my food! That was a mean trick you pulled," I say before stuffing a piece of toast in my mouth. "Want some?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure. I'm kind of hungry." He holds his hand out for a piece of toast. Hah, if he thinks he's getting off that easy…

"Yeah, well, you should've had breakfast then," I say, and eat the second and last piece. Sirius' jaw drops open and his eyes widen in shock. Yeah, I'm evil.

"So, where first?" I ask with a smile.

"I should just leave you here for that, witch!" he exclaims, ignoring my attempt to change the subject.

"What? You would do that to little old me?" I ask innocently.

He swings an arm around my shoulders grinning before saying, "Well, you're certainly not old, and you're most definitely not little-" which is true because I'm 5' 10." "-but I would do it to you, yeah."

I laugh while he steers me into Zonko's Joke Shop. Immediately I am hit with the strong stench of dungbombs and have to dive out of the way of a fanged Frisbee. A few minutes are spent here before we move on to Honeydukes, which is AWESOME. Oh my god, they have all my favorite candies and then some! Sirius laughed at me and then said I looked like a little boy on Christmas morning. I punched him in the arm and told him I don't look like a little boy. He stopped laughing. Finally we settled at The Three Broomsticks.

"Have you ever had butterbeer, Ava?" he asks me setting a bottle of the aforementioned drink in front of me.

"No, and I'm not sure I want to…" I say, examining the drink.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you'll love it! It tastes like butterscotch but not as…sickly."

"'Not as sickly?' Oh yes, now I definitely want to try it!"

His response is drowned out by a bunch of girls in the back singing Happy Birthday. I look closer and I realize it's my dorm mates.

"…_Happy birthday dear Lily, Happy birthday to you!_"

"Oh, Sirius, come on, let's go say happy birthday!"

"Nooo!" he moans.

"Why?" I ask. "It's only polite."

"Have you met me, Ave? I'm not a polite person. In fact, I rather detest Little Miss Priss and all of her friends."

"Fine," I say. "You stay here and I'll go wish her a happy birthday, douche." I mumble the last part of the sentence, hoping he would hear.

"I am no douche! You know what-" he starts to get up, and refuses my 'attempts' to get him to sit back down. "No, I'll come with you. It's my duty as a proper date."

I smirk, proud that I manipulated Sirius into doing what I wanted him to do.

"And for your information," Sirius says in my ear, "You're gonna have to come up with something a little better than 'douche' to get me to do what you want." I smirk a little bit more.

We walk up to Lily Evans' table and as we approach, the table quieted down and I received quite a few glares. Gulp.

"Um, hi, Lily, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday," I say. Sirius stands behind me.

"Thanks, Ava. Actually, though, it was about a week after you got here," she replies. I'm actually not sure if she's being sincere or not.

"Oh, well, whatever. Have a happy fourteenth," I say, and walk away, but not before I noticed Mary MacDonald sending a flirtatious look towards Sirius. It's so disgusting just how desperate these girls are for a guy who doesn't even like them.

I end up walking away faster than Sirius, who has to catch up with me.

"Whoa, Ave, what's wrong?" he asks, grabbing my arm.

I wince at the name, before replying. "Nothing, just, disappointed in the girls in our year," I say cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks as we walk up the street.

"Like, you make it clear that you don't like them, but they're still completely hung up on you, when all you are to them is a pretty face!" I say, throwing my hands up in the air. He opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off. "And don't ask me if I'm jealous, because I'm not. I can't even spend five minutes with you without getting dirty looks from seventh years. _Seventh years_, Sirius. It's pathetic how these girls have no respect for themselves!"

Sirius and I have stopped walking, and he's just staring at me with this calculating expression. I don't think he was calculating me, but deciding what to say.

"You said I have a pretty face," is the first thing out of his mouth. I hit him on the arm. "Kidding, I'm kidding. No, I completely understand where you're coming from with this. It's so annoying! I'm not dropping hints anymore; I am blatantly telling them _to their faces_ that I don't like them and they don't get it!"

"Oh, I have an idea, what if we transfigure your face ugly?" I ask.

"Sorry but I rather enjoy my beautiful face," he says.

"Don't you own a mirror, Black? Your face is the farthest thing from beautiful," drawls a voice from the alley next to us. Moments later Severus Snape steps out of the shadows.

**Sirius' POV**

Almost immediately my wand is out. I look to Ava to make sure she's ready for what could possibly be a duel, but instead she has this look on her face that says _'oh just you wait, Snape.'_

"Well, Snape, that was a very mean thing to say. Didn't you mother ever teach you if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?"

"Don't talk about my mother, bitch!" Snape says, anger clearly written upon his face.

"Don't call her that!" I yell furiously. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Snape is almost hit, but it bounces off a shield produced by… Ava?

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"You don't need to waste magic on something as petty as this. Watch and learn." And then she sauntered up to Snape.

"Severus, I have a question for you, and I would like you to answer honestly. Can you do that for me?" she asks giving him her best flirty puppy dog pout.

"Depends."

"Okay then, let's see. Alright, eighty-seven percent of men masturbate while in the shower. The other thirteen percent sing a song. Do you know what song they sing, Severus?" she asks him innocently.

"Ah… no, I do not know. Why?" He's somehow no longer angry at her, but curious as to the answer.

"Well, then, you must be part of the eighty-seven percent that masturbate!" she says happily, no longer acting like an innocent school girl. She laughs and points at his face, which steadily grows red, either from anger or embarrassment. There is a small group of people that have gathered around us since I tried to jinx him. Everyone is laughing now.

"That's what you get for insulting my f-date!" she yells so the entire crowd here's the word 'date.' She grabs my hand and storms off towards the Shrieking Shack. The moment we're out of sight though, she lets go of my hand. Now my hand is really cold… even though I'm wearing gloves. Wait, what?

"That was brilliant, Ave! Where did you get that?" I ask.

"Where I get all of my good material – television!" she says.

"What's television?" I ask.

"Uh… that is a conversation for another day," she replies before changing the subject. "Where are we?"

I look around. "Oh, we're at the Shrieking Shack." She raises her eyebrow at me.

"Wanna tell me why it's called the 'Shrieking Shack?'" she asks.

"Oh, well, they say it's haunted," I tried to say as casually as possible.

"Ghosts?"

"Yeah, really big, scary, ghosts."

"That's cool," she says casually.

"Wanna go in?" I ask.

"Uh… what about it being haunted?"

"Well, the school is haunted, but we still go there. C'mon, I promise I won't let anything happen to you!" I say, holding my hand out to her. Part of me reasons that it's just a conventional gesture, but another part wants that warmth I felt earlier back.

She looks at my hand for a few moments before she makes her decision. "Yeah, alright, let's do it." She runs ahead while hooking her arm through mine, effectively dragging me along the path to the Shack.

She leans against me as we walk up to the Shack, and I swear I must have a fever or something because I am burning up. Oh god, am I blushing? I can't blush, I'm a guy!

Ava interrupts my thoughts and starts whispering to me in my ear. "Why is it even called a shack? Like, I know it's a little decrepit, but it's still a decent sized building."

"Alliteration," I answer. I open the front door slowly, just so she can hear the creak.

"C'mon, follow me," I say. I disentangle myself from Ava's death-grip. Hmm… mayhap she's more scared than she lets on…

**Ava's POV**

Ok, wow, it's really dark in here. Uhm, I'm not that big of a fan of the dark… and Sirius is nowhere to be found… help?

Ok, calm down, Ave. You handled Voldemort, you can handle some transparent imprint of some dead guy.

_Creeaaak._ Ohmygodwhatwasthat?

_Creeaak. Thump. Thump. Thump._ Footsteps? Ghosts don't make footsteps.

"_Lumos,_" I say. Ok, light. Light is good.

"Sirius?" I call. _Creeaak._

"Sirius?" I call louder. "Sirius, where are you?" Now I can't keep the trace of fear out of my voice.

I walk slowly towards a set of stairs. I climb up them as quietly as possible, but it's hard in such an old house. Every step I take causes another _Creeaak._ I open up the door at the top of the steps and step into a room with scratches and blood all over the wall. Ghosts can't cause this…

"Ava!"

I scream. Like, I legitimately scream a girly girl scream. There are hands on me, pulling me towards the door. Now there's a hand over my mouth and I'm screaming even louder and I'm throwing elbows and finally I'm let go.

I turn around with my wand in front of me, trained on my attac… wait, Sirius?

"Sirius, what the hell is wrong with you?" I yell.

He breathes deeply, clutching his stomach where I hit him.

"I was just playing a little prank. I didn't expect you to actually go anywhere in the house. You can't be up here. C'mon we gotta get outta here now!"

I can sense something is legitimately wrong by the tone of his voice, but I'm too freaked out to ask.

We walk back to school in the dark and I notice the full moon above us. From behind me I hear a howl coming from the direction of the Shrieking Shack I think. I look over my shoulder as I walk, and I slowly come to a stop. Sirius stops as well, grabs my wrist and pulls me along back up to the school.

Hours later I'm lying in my own bed for once. James and Peter were off gallivanting throughout the school, trying to find new passageways, Remus was visiting his sick grandmother, and Sirius… well after Hogsmeade it would just be too awkward. So I'm here in my own bed, hiding from my problems as usual.

Why on earth could Sirius have been so desperate to get me out of the Shrieking Shack? And even after we left, he was still anxious to get back to school. I know it's not because he didn't want to get in trouble, because we all know that that's completely against his morals. I just don't get it… This is going to bug me forever! I roll over and punch my pillow.

Sleep did not come easily to me that night. My dreams were plagued with images of Sirius and the Shrieking Shack. I get the feeling that I should just pretend that it never happened… but that doesn't mean it didn't. It's going to eat away at me and I don't know how long I'll be able to deal with that.

* * *

**Oh my god, I am sooo sorry it took me so long to update! When I got back from camp, all the summer work I had been putting off crashed down around me in a wave of unfortunate-ness… And now that school's started again, updates are going to be even more sporadic But this chapter is wicked long…? I don't know… if you think I'm moving the relationship between Ava and Sirius along too quickly, please review and tell me… I'm having trouble controlling myself. On a happier note, I just saved a bunch of money by switching my car insurance to Geico… jkjk… but the Red Sox are in the playoffs, which is AWESOME! So the song I used for this chapter is **_**First Date**_**, by blink-182… and I don't think it works completely, but it was either this or **_**Start of Something New**_** from HSM… and I would rather tar and feather myself that lower myself to such…levels.**

_**Next time on **_**The Story**_**: **_

_**-The aftermath of Sirius and Ava's 'date'**_

_**-Fast forward to exams and the end of the school year**_

_**-Beginning of the summer**_

**So please review! If you're lucky, you might get an update by Christmas! So until then, Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving if you're American!**

**-Friar**


	7. Chapter 6: Teenagers

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters… I just get to play with them =]

Chapter 6: Teenagers

_Because the drugs never work  
They're gonna give you a smirk  
'Cause they got methods of keeping you clean_

**Sirius' POV**

Oh. Good. Lord.

What is _**WRONG**_ with me?

Well, in my own defense, it was cloudy when we went in and because I couldn't see the moon… and I forgot…

Ugh, this is what I hate about myself. I am always forgetting important things, and I never think before I act!

I should probably go talk to her. But I can't tell her about Remus! But I don't want her to think I'm lying to her. Ok, you know what, I'll talk to Remus about it…tomorrow. Maybe if I'm lucky he'll let me tell her…

…yeah right.

**Ava's POV**

Well this is awkward.

Let me explain: I didn't sleep at all last night. I fell asleep finally at 4:30. AM. IN THE MORNING. And when I finally got to sleep, I had a nightmare! I dreamed that I was in the Shrieking Shack and I was all confused because of all the blood on the wall. Then I started freaking out and I called out Sirius a ton (and I think I did that in real life as well, not just in my dream) and then he was behind me and then he morphed into the Swamp Thing and then I must've freaked out so much I rolled right out of bed. Only I would do that. Well, maybe James.

So then I was awake for good, and I look up and Lily Evans looking right at me with a look that sort of said '_What on EARTH is wrong with you?_' which is where we come back to the present.

"Hi, Lily…" I say awkwardly.

"Hi," she replies, still scrutinizing me.

It's quiet for while I play with the drawstring on my pajamas before Lily speaks up.

"You know, you're still on the floor."

I look around and notice that I _am _still on the floor. "Oh. I am, aren't I?"

"Yeah…" And it's _still __**wicked **__**awkward**_. I get up, and start putting on a sweatshirt over my pajamas, before heading out the door for James' room.

"Wait, where are you going?" Lily asks.

"I was gonna go see James… Why? Do you want to come along?" I ask, confused.

"Oh, uh, no, it's just that its only 7:30, I doubt someone like Potter is an early riser," she says disdainfully. Oh my god, she's acting as if she knows him. She's making judgments based on how he acts to the entire school. How rude.

"Actually, he is," I say, trying to convey how completely impolite she's being right now about my best friend in the whole wide world right to my face by tone. "He likes to get the most out of his day. He usually wakes up in a half hour or so, so I might just go back to bed." I'm about to walk out the door before she calls me back in _again_.

"Yes?" I ask, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice.

"Well, it's just that your bed is in here…" she says, pointing to my bed.

"I know that. I'm gonna go sleep in his bed."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Bye."

I slowly open the door, hoping to be silent, which I fail at. But luckily everyone is still asleep… from what I can tell. All the curtains are closed anyway. I go to James' bed, which is surprisingly empty. Perchance he's in the bathroom. There's a silencing charm on it anyways, so that the shower doesn't wake anybody up. So I climb into it anyways, and wait for him to come back. I guess while I wait, I can go to sleep. It _is_ 7:30 in the morning, and I was up pretty late last night… (grumble) 4:30 in the morning (grumble). I lay my head down on the pillow, and realize that that is _not_ James' smell… but it is familiar. I can't place it, but before I can even begin to contemplate whose it might be, I'm asleep…

**Sirius' POV**

Ah, nothing clears my mind like a nice hot shower… NOT! Even washing my hair made me think of what happened yesterday! Honestly, I need to talk to Remus. I guess that's why I'm up so early. I want to get down to the Hospital Wing so I can talk to Remus about Ava. He's probably the best to talk to about Ava considering they're good friends but they don't have the same emotional attachment James and Ava do. I doubt though that he'll let me tell her about his lycanthropy. He didn't even tell us until we accused him of it. His parents have drilled into his head that his secret is his most precious possession, and that if anyone finds out he might not be able to keep learning at Hogwarts. I guess that's true, but I don't think Ava would be the one to discriminate when she herself is subjected to the same torture because of her muggle heritage.

I walk out of the bathroom with a towel around my waste to hide Little Sirius, when I notice that my curtains aren't shut all the way like I left them. I pull them open a bit and there's Ava. On my bed. Snuggled up to my pillow. _Smiling_. Why? I don't know. I'm tempted to wake her up, but she looks so… peaceful, I decide to leave her. Instead I leave her a note, which says:

_Hey Sleeping Beauty!_

_Ava, I think you got in the wrong bed this morning. James' is the _

_one to the left of mine. That means when you face my bed, _

_make the 'L's with your hands and it's the bed that corresponds_

_with the hand that makes a proper 'L.' I know you have trouble_

_with your lefts and rights. I had fun yesterday. _

_Granted the end was a bit of a downer,_

_but you handled everything pretty well. You're a great __girl__ friend._

_Siriusly,_

_Sirius Black_

After leaving the note on my bedside table, I get changed, and head down to the Hospital Wing.

I hope Remus is up. I always have to be careful the morning after. Sometimes he's really distant, because he thinks it would remind us that he's a 'frightening monster' or some shit. Other times he's really glad to see us, and begs us for chocolate. I'm really hoping that today will be the latter.

My thoughts are occupied with Ava and the indescribable warmth I felt when I held her hand. That's the sort of stuff you read about in poems, and romance novels, not in real life. I want to say it was body warmth, but I'm sure if I held hands with Lily Evans it wouldn't be the same. It was a… comfortable sort of warmth. With anyone else it would have been incomparably awkward.

And I hate lying to her. I never have a problem lying to anyone. I'm an _amazing_ actor. I have gotten out of more detentions than I can count on my two hands because of my acting skills. But I look at Ava and I can't keep my cool when she asks me a question. I suppose that's another reason why I didn't wake her up when I found her in my bed. I wanted to avoid the confrontation. And when we do talk about the Shrieking Shack, I don't want James and Peter in the room as well.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts, I get caught in the trick stair. Damn that thing, and whichever founder decided to put it here. When I finally extract myself from it, it's almost eight. Remus should be up by now. Madame Pomfrey has to give him a potion at 7:30 after every full moon, and it takes him ages to get back to sleep after it.

"Hey, Remus," I say when I get to his bed, surrounded by curtains.

"Hey, Sirius. What are you doing here so early?" he asks weakly.

I check up on his injuries, and how the night before was. Then I'm quiet for a bit, so I can work out my wording. "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Did you bring me any chocolate?" he asks jokingly.

"But of course!" I pull a chocolate bar out of my pocket and throw it to him. When he starts eating it, I ask my question. "Do plan on telling Ava about your furry little problem?"

"…No, why?"

"It's just, well, I wasn't thinking yesterday… and I may or may not have shown her the inside of the Shrieking Shack." Remus gave an exasperated sigh and said my name at the same time. "She doesn't know what's going on, but she knows something is. She's a smart girl, Remus! If she's gonna hang out with us, we can't keep her in the dark! She's gonna figure it out at some point! It's not fair to her! She's James' best friend, practically his sister, and we all get along great. I think she's gonna be around for a while, and imagine how betrayed she'll feel when she finds out that _you_ didn't trust her enough to tell her!"

"I know that, Sirius! You think I don't know that? I want to tell her, I really do! But I don't know how she'll react. She might shun me forever, she might shun James or you or Peter forever because of me and my condition! I hate lying to her Sirius, but right now, that's all I can do."

"Do you seriously think she'll judge you?" I ask. "Remus, she's in the same position as you! Voldemort attacked her personally because she's a muggleborn! She's dealt with either being a weirdo to her muggle friends for being a witch or for being a '_mudblood_' to her old classmates and some of her new ones for her muggle heritage! She's in no position to judge you!"

"I know that's true, but sometimes people are hypocrites without even realizing it, and there's nothing they can do about it. I'm resolute in my decision Sirius. I'm not telling her I'm a werewolf. Not today."

"Will you tell her someday?" I ask.

"I… I… yeah, I will. I promise."

I breathe a huge sigh of relief. "Good. That's a huge load off my chest."

"So how was your date yesterday?" Remus asks me with a sly smile.

"It wasn't a date, ok! It was a faux-date. It was supposed to get girls to finally understand that I'm not interested, but I don't think they understood."

"Of course it wouldn't. The only girls smart enough to understand that are Ava and Lily, and neither of them are interested anyway. You have to communicate that to them in terms that they would understand. I think by shoving your not-relationship with Ava in their faces just makes them want to try harder."

"I guess you have a point. But what do I do now?"

"I'd just go back to ignoring them. Or you could just be really blunt and be rude right to their faces."

"Hah! Imagine the looks they'd make!"

"They'd probably look like a fish of some sort. Just opening and closing their mouths." Remus' demonstration almost makes me fall out of my chair, I'm laughing so hard. "Or maybe they'd try to molest you! They might believe the sparks bullshit printed in their romance novels, and hope you feel them, and fall happily in love!"

"Yeah, well, they won't be feeling any sparks, I can assure you. I think I'd throw up if one of those hopeless girls kissed me."

"Yeah, imagine how the girl would feel if you just push her off and vomit all over the floor!"

"I don't think I'd be able to hold out that long. I'd just throw up right in her mou-"

"Mr. Black, stop exciting Mr. Lupin so much! He's had a very rough night!" Madame Pomfrey's voice cuts through our brainstorming session.

"Sorry, Poppy!" I yell. "Hey, do you mind if I go get some breakfast? I'm starved."

"Oh, yeah, go ahead! I have homework to do anyways." Remus waves me off, and I head downstairs.

I arrive at the Great Hall, and find James, Peter, and Ava sitting down. They seem to more focused on their food than actual conversation.

"Hey guys!" I say as I sit down. I look specifically at Ava to gauge her reaction. It's the first time she's seen me since last night. She gives me a small smile, one that says _I read your note? What the hell?_ I guess I understand where she's coming from. It was kind of random. I feel my face go warm, and wonder if I'm blushing, which I generally don't…

"Hey, Sirius," James says through a mouthful of bacon and sausage. Some falls out onto his plate.

"Ew, James, that is disgusting," Ava says. He just smiles a great big smile at her to annoy her more. I can see the bits of his food sticking out.

"Really, James, shut your mouth. No one should have to see that this early in the morning," I say. "Honestly, didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

**Ava's POV**

"Honestly, didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

How similar we are. Both using the same insults on people that generally annoy us. Those words remind me of yesterday so much, it's painful. Not like, heartaches or anything, but—what am I saying, it wasn't painful! It's just… painful to think about. It's one of those things where you just want to stop thinking about it because it's so embarrassing to relive in your head. It happens to me a lot. Like now.

"Ava? Hello? Avaaa? Ave, you in there?" I'm jolted back to reality by the use of that terrible nickname.

"Hm? Yeah, Sirius? What's up?"

"Well, it's just… Breakfast is over…"

I look around. Breakfast isn't just over, it's _over_. The only people still here are me, Sirius, and Dumbledore, who is very obviously watching us. Should I wave, or would he see that as obnoxious? You know what, I'll wave, because I am an obnoxious person.

"Who are you waving to?" Sirius asks.

"Dumbledore," I reply.

"Uhm, may I ask why?"

"'Cause he's kinda staring at us… kinda creeping me out. I was hoping that the wave would make him stop… but I guess not." Sirius keeps giving me this weird look, so I decide to change the subject. "So where are Tweedledee and Tweedleidiot?"

"Peter and James?" he confirms as we walk out of the hall.

"Respectively, of course." He laughs, and it echoes around the entrance hall. His laugh is contagions, really, and I start to laugh a little as well.

"They're in the hospital wing," he says. "Visiting Remus," he continues, after he sees the look of concern on my face.

"What's wrong with Remus?"

"He…uh… he has the flu and Pomfrey's only letting in people that have already had it this season… I haven't either, so we should probably just head back to the Common Room." I nod, and we head up seven flights of stairs.

"I hate this stupid school and all of its fucking stairs," I manage to choke out somewhere between the fifth and sixth floor. I flop down on the stairs and just lie there for a minute.

"Oh c'mon, Ave, we're almost there! Just two more flights, I promise!" He holds his hand out for me to take, which I hit away and dramatically fall down on the stairs again.

"Go on without me, Sirius. Save yourself!"

"Cut the shit, Motta. I'm not leaving you here, or James will have my head on a silver platter and mount it in my house next to all our old house elves' heads. Get up. C'mon, I know a shortcut."

This time I take his hand, but only because his most recent statement kind of confused me. "House elves? And their heads mounted where? And a shortcut? Why didn't you tell me?"

And thus begins the immensely long conversation about Sirius Black's absolutely dreadful life. And I thought I had it bad.

"So your crazy aunt started the tradition of beheading your family's house elves and mounting their heads on a piece of wood and plastering that to the walls in your house? Good Lord, I'd get nightmares. Is all your family like that?"

"Ninety percent of it is. The only ones that have any sort of morals or sanity are me, my Uncle Alphard, my cousin Andromeda, and a few other random people that are all dead by now. The rest have all been in Slytherin. Alphard and Andromeda were in Ravenclaw, and I am the first member of my family to be in Gryffindor."

"Ouch, I bet that didn't go over too well."

"No, it did not." And that's all he said on the matter. I suppose he doesn't want to talk about it. "So, besides being on Voldemort's hit-list, what sucks about your life?"

"Well…" Should I tell him? I really want to, but some of what I want to say I've never even told James, and he's my brother… it would be like betraying him… I know I can trust Sirius, but my loyalty lies with James. So I'll lie. "Well, to be honest, my life's never been better… and it's all because of Voldemort. I should send him a thank you card."

"You should. I mean, it's only polite, right?"

**Sirius' POV**

"You should. I mean, it's only polite, right?"

Déjà vu, anybody? Christ, Ava said almost that exact same thing to me yesterday. Is weird how alike we are? You would think we grew up together or something.

"Whoa, déjà vu!" Ava exclaims. What the hell? I just thought that!

"You literally took the words right out of my brain, Ave."

"Great minds think alike, no?"

"Hear, hear!" I shout, and raise an imaginary glass. I look over at Ava smiling, and want to make a fool of myself a little bit more, just because I know it'll make her laugh like she is now.

Wait, what?

"Hey guys!" James yells, coming up behind us.

"Hey, Jamie, what's up?" Ava asks.

"Oh, same ol' same ol'. Just visiting Remus in the hospital. That is one nasty flu."

"I should make him a card! I can make it after I make my thank you note for Voldemort!" I laugh, but James just sends us this weird look.

Later that day I explained my views about Ava not knowing about Remus' lycanthropy, and he agreed that we should tell her soon. The only thing standing in our way was Remus' trust issues, but that will work out in time. He promised.

.:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:..:--:.

And so life goes on. Things become relatively normal…well, as normal as they get at Hogwarts…being a Marauder.

Things continued like that, until Professor Comi teaches us the about the one dark creature we had all been fearing: the werewolf. And guess what! The full moon was yesterday! If Ava doesn't figure it out Remus' secret now, she never will.

"Well, class, can anyone tell me why werewolves are such a danger to society, and should be locked away for good?" she asks, while looking right at Remus, the bitch. A few different people yell out the usual things ("They're scary!" "They're dangerous!" "They're monsters!"), but only two people actually raised their hands: Snape and Ava. Oh no.

"Miss Motta, care to explain?"

"Gladly, Professor," she says in an insincere tone, which confuses me. Ava is always polite when it comes to dealing with authoritative figures. I look around, hoping someone can give me a little insight, but James is just grinning his arse off, Remus is face down on the test, and Peter is off in his own little world. Ave won't even look at me, she just stares down Comi.

"Well, the moment the full moon rises, once a lunar cycle, the werewolf comes to life. The host body stands there while bones are grown, shortened, disappear, and appear, while fur grows all over its body, and the body structure changes from that of a human to a more canine form. The human cedes control over his or her body – actions, thoughts, everything – and the wolf reeks havoc upon the innocent civilians unfortunate to get in its way." Remus looks even paler. There's no way that Remus will ever tell her now.

"Very good, Miss Motta, ten points to Gryffindor. Now, knowing this, how many of you still do not understand the danger of werewolves?" Nobody raises their hands. Except Ava.

"Well, professor, I have a question. I don't understand how people can be so prejudiced towards werewolves. I mean, in retrospect, they're just people with really rotten luck." Ohmygod. Ava is in for it. Comi's gonna tear her apart. Now I know why James was grinning. I start to smile a bit myself.

"Well, that statement is wrong, Motta. They are not people, they are half-breeds."

"I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that. If someone is born a human, then they remain a human after the bite. Being bitten does not change what you are. Half-breeds are giants, and house elves, and centaurs. Lycanthropy does not make you a half-breed, because it is a disease! I- Ok, suppose I was your best friend or something. You had known me your entire life, we told each other all of our secrets, et cetera et cetera, and one day, I'm bitten. I'm a werewolf for the rest of my life now. What do you do? Do you take me in when the rest of society rejects me? Or do you join those bigoted assholes because now I'm a 'scary monster?'"

The entire room is silent. Everyone is staring at Ava, and it is _dead silent_. And—This is the best part I promise—Ava is just sitting there looking at Comi with this 'I win' look on her face. But then, she turns around and looks Remus right in the eye. OHMYGOD SHE TOTALLY KNOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comi finally opens her mouth to say something. Everyone is waiting on the edge of her seat to see what she says.

"I should have expected an insolent little mud-gleborn like you wouldn't understand the true dangers of werewolves. Perhaps a week of detentions in my office will help you understand. Be there tonight at seven."

**Ava's POV**

Wait, what?

Oh, I totally thought I won that one… goddammit.

At least I made Remus shit his pants… that's good, right?

Oh, I totally know that he's a werewolf. I'm kinda pissed that he won't tell me. I mean, I've dropped more hints than I can count on my hands and feet. I think I really realized it when his third grandmother died.

So I don't really pay attention for the rest of class. I just plan out how I'm going to confront Remus after class. When the bell rings, I'm over at his desk in a heartbeat, but he's already gone… HOW DOES HE DO THAT????

"Have you guys seen Remus?" I ask James and Sirius.

"Nope, he's already gone," answers James. Figures. Why would anything go right for Ava?

"Do you know where he went?" I ask again.

They look at each other for a moment and exchange a glance before saying at the exact same time "Not a clue." Oh, god, these boys think that I know nothing. Well, I'll show them.

"Right, well, I'll see you guys later, then," I snap, and I storm out. I have every intention of skipping potions, and finding Remus. It's about time to sort this out.

The first thing I do is check the potions room, which surprise, surprise, he isn't in. On my way out of the room I see James and Sirius and completely ignore them when they ask me where I'm going. It's fun to be a bitch. Next I go to the dorms; he isn't here. Then I to to the astronomy tower, and check out the grounds. Looking, looking, look-AH THERE HE IS I SEE HIM!

I legitimately sprint all the way down to grounds and get him right as he's getting up.

"NO! Sit down right now! We are talking this out, I'm so tired of tip toeing around the subject!"

"What subject?" he asks, playing dumb.

"The fact that you're a—" His eyes widened, and I realized that I was shouting. "The fact that you're a werewolf!" I whispered.

"Wha-I'm-no-"

"Oh, come on, Remus, I'm not stupid. Nobody's grandmother dies twice."

"How do you know that it wasn't one on each side of my family?"

"Because you already told me that your muggle grandmother died in a car accident four years ago! THERE! You've clearly been lying to me since I met you, and even now, when I've just shown how I don't discriminate against werewolves? What could possibly be wrong with you just saying it to me?"

"I'm not—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Remus, stop denying it! I know you're a werewolf!"

"So? What are you going to do? Accept me? '_Understand my problems?_'" Suddenly the Remus I knew was gone and replaced with the typical apathetic werewolf you would find on the streets.

"Wha—no, Remus, shut up. Stop being such a self-loathing asshole who does nothing but wallow in self-pity. I'm here to-to-to listen, to—to just _be _here. That's what friends are for. That's what James, and Sirius and Peter are for. That's what we're _all _for. And I can understand why you wouldn't tell me originally. I've only been here for a few months, but I've figured it out, I've confessed my opinions, I've done everything there is to do! So why can't you just accept it?"

It's quiet for a moment, and the only thing I can hear is the giant squid screwing around in the lake next to us.

"Ever since the…bite… all my dad had ever told me was that I would never be accepted by society, and that no one could ever find out my secret, otherwise I would be sent to Azkaban. Ever since I was a child it's been ingrained in my head that I could never be normal. It just seems so surreal that you don't even care that if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could…"

"Remus. You're a _wizard_. You are _NEVER_ going to be normal. Nobody's normal. So don't even worry about that. And screw your dad! Your dad doesn't even know shit! Dads suck! I can only think of one decent dad, and that's James'. Sirius' dad _hates_ him, Peter's dad is an alcoholic, my dad—shit, Remus, my dad left my family because of me! He's too religious to even bare to live in the same house as a witch! Everyone's dad sucks. They're all assholes. So forget about him, and focus on the people that are here for you."

Remus smiles at me. I think I've finally gotten through to him. I look at him as if asking whether or not things are fine. I can't seem to get the words out of my throat for once.

"I need to start keeping track of my excuses."

* * *

**And I'm BACK BITCHES!!! Ok I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long, but I was this close || to getting this chapter out before Christmas… and then my hard drive like, died, so I didn't have it over Christmas break, and then a week after because the tech office at my school sucks. But I'm back! And I think we're gonna start getting into the part of the story that I already have written out in my head, so the chapters might come a little faster… if you REVIEW! Ok, so the song at the beginning is 'Teenagers' by My Chemical Romance. It really only goes along with the DADA part of the chapter, but I think that's the most important part.**

_**Next time on **_**The Story:**

_**-Train ride home**_

_**-Summer!**_

_**-ahhh drama!!**_

**-Friar**


	8. Chapter 7: Fix You

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters… I just get to play with them =]

P.S. My beta said that my disclaimer ^^^ is 'dirty'… for example she made a really bad 'that's what she said joke' when she saw it on my last chapter… Is she just being a perv or is it really inappropriate?

Chapter 7: Fix You

And tears come streaming down on your face

When you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

**Remus' POV**

I'm so glad Ava knows now. No more sneaking around. I can be called Moony freely, and more and more wolf jokes are being made.

For example:

"Hey wolfy, when's your next time of the month?" James asks. I scowl.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy my condition being associated with the menstrual system. I'm a big furry beast, dammit, not some hormonal chick."

My statement draws general laughter, except Ava, who seems to be trying to be angry at us guys… and failing.

"Is there something you wanted to say, Ava?" I ask, smiling at her mockingly. Then she starts to smile. Oh god.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy _my_ condition being associated with the lunar cycle's affects on Remus. I'm a grown woman, not some disgusting mutt." Sirius, James, and Peter laugh even harder at that.

"Disgusting? I'll have you know I bathe regularly!"

"Oh yeah? What's regularly? Once every two months? I swear, you smell like someone rubbed a wet dog all over you!" Oh… well, that might be difficult to respond to.

"At least I don't have to push a friggin' kid out of my ass!" I respond. I think I need to start reading again. My comebacks have begun to fail. Miserably.

"At least I know how childbirth actually works, you moron! Babies come out of the vagina, not the ass! It's not like newborn babies come out covered in shit residue."

And so now James and Peter and Sirius are all on the ground laughing their asses off, and Ava has a smug look on her face. Time to admit defeat.

"Two weeks, and I'm going to pack for tomorrow," I say gathering my things and stalking away up the stairs and tripping and falling and then gathering all my books again and walking the rest of the way upstairs and listening to my so-called friends laughing at me. My life sucks.

**Ava's POV**

Hehehe chuckle.

Hah, Remus can be such a tool sometimes.

Lily walks up to us, having seen and heard the commotion. "What did you do to them?" she asks incredulously.

"Oh, nothing, they just finally looked in a mirror." Oh, I am on _fire_ today!

Lily snorts in the most unattractive way, and walks away shaking her head. I turn to my friends and see that they are not laughing anymore. Why not? My last joke was quite hilarious.

"I wish you would not make fun of me in front of my true love," James says. I scoff.

"Psh, James ,you don't even know what true love is. You're only fourteen. You should date around before settling on one specific girl."

"But Evans is just so _perfect_!"

"You are seriously confused, Jamie," I say. "She sounds like a freaking banshee half the time"

"I concur," Sirius pipes in.

"You two are freaks," James says before standing up.

"Says the boy who's hair looks life friggin' antlers," I retort.

**Sirius' POV**

James flips her the bird before walking after Remus up the stairs. I laugh at that. It's not every day someone has the balls to flip Ava off. She tries to give me an imposing look so I'll stop laughing at her, but eventually her frown turns upside down into a wide grin.

That's one thing I noticed about Ava. She doesn't smile as much as you'd think. Sure, she smiles a lot, we're a very fun group of teenagers, but it just doesn't quite reach her eyes. It's as if there is something holding her back. "Christ, it's warm," Ave says, knocking me out of my reverie.

"Well What do you expect, Ave. It's the middle of June."

I see her freeze up for a moment before she answers.

"Well the fireplace isn't really helping things," she complains after a tense moment. I don't answer, and she gives me a look. "What?"

"Is there something about calling you 'Ave' that I should know?" I ask. I move closer to her, so our conversation can't be overheard. "Ava, is there something you're not telling me? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Ava lifts her head to look at me, and I'm shocked to see how cold and sad they are, in comparison to the regular warm hazel I usually see.

"I-I know… it's just difficult to talk about. The only person I've ever talked to about it is Remus, and I was really short and vague 'cause I was trying to make him feel better about being a werewolf—"

"Ava, calm down," I say soothingly. I place my hand on her far arm and rub it up and down consolingly. She leans into me and my breath hitches. Oh god, those feelings are coming back again. You know, the feelings from Hogsmeade? No, this is _such_ a bad time. Go away, GO AWAY!

"It's just, I feel weird talking to you about it because you're family is so much more worse than mine, and I feel sort of ungrateful telling it to you. It's like complaining about terrible acne to Remus."

"Ava, I don't mind. I don't know if you haven't noticed, but our entire group is a whole estate of damaged property. We don't judge."

"Alright, well, when I first got the letter saying that I was a witch and that I was accepted into SWI, my dad said it was a joke that James had played on us. You see, dad was always super religious. Like, he's the kind of person to hang somebody if they were accused of being a witch. So when the headmaster of SWI came to explain because I'm a muggleborn, my dad… he-he flipped out. He started yelling and cursing and throwing things. He said stuff like 'No daughter of mine will ever be a _witch_!' and he said 'witch' as if it were some sort of terrible disease." Oh god, she's crying. WHat do I do, what do I do?" So the next day, he packed his things… and just left. And not only that, he took my fucking baby sister with him! And my dog! The dog he gave me for my tenth birthday, and she was only a puppy!"

Ava angrily wipes her tears away. "I shouldn't even be crying over that bastard. He's not even worth it. It's just, we were so close. The fact that he picked his religion over me is just… painful.

"So that's why I freeze up a bit every time you call me Ave. That's what he used to call me, and every time you call me that…" she trails off "I'm so sorry, Ava. I-don't worry about me calling you that name again. If it brings up bad memories then—"

"No, don't worry about it Sirius. It-It's time I move on, I think. I mean, when am I ever going to see him again?"

I didn't answer, because I honestly don't know.

Ava sniffs, and wipes her eyes one more time. She stands up, and I feel cold at the lack of contact again.

"I'm going to go pack up everything in my dorm. I'll see you later, Sirius. Oh, and, uh, thanks for listening to be PMS. I appreciate it," she says.

"Yeah, anytime," I say before watching Ava bounce up the steps.

**Ava's POV**

Happy.

I am happy. I am happy—truly happy—for the first time since… since I was seven and James caught me a frog as an early birthday gift before he left to go back to England.

Why am I so happy? I just sobbed into my best friend's shoulder.

Maybe it's the fact that I finally _told_ somebody about Dad. The fact that I'm not the only person carrying that burden anymore is just… astounding.

Here's the thing: I _suck_ at telling people things. I mean, I couldn't even tell _James_ the real reason Dad left. I still haven't. I don't know if I ever will.

And I feel so bad for unloading on Sirius even though he has all of his own problems.

But the fact that Sirius just sat there, and was there for me was amazing.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Sirius smells great.

WHAT?!?!?!

Where the _FUCK_ did that come from?

Oh god… what if I…?

Oh lord, oh lord, oh lord.

Well, I already knew he was attractive… it's kind of hard not to miss that. But now he smells great? What _is_ that?

But do I really like him? I mean, he's a great guy… in private I guess. He's different around other people. When he's around other people, like in class, he's always purposely cocky and arrogant. It's actually kind of annoying. I mean, who is he trying to impress? I think he cares about the girls more than he would like to admit. But honestly, when it's just the five of us… He's more sincere. You can tell—

STOP! Focus, Ava, focus. Oh, this would be such a good time to be friends with a girl… maybe I'll go find Sam. He's pretty close to a girl, and I haven't talked to him in a while.

I'm walking out the door before I remember I have to pack. Dammit. K, I'll talk to him on the train.

So after very carefully packing my trunk—you wouldn't peg me as a neat freak, but I can be sometimes—I head over to the boys' dorms to see if I forgot anything.

I knock on the door first. I didn't want to walk in on anything that could potentially be awkward… a shirtless Sirius comes to mind…

_No, don't think that, Ava! _I yell at myself. I also slapped myself in the face for good measure, Peter conveniently opening the door at the exact same time.

"What are you doing?" he asks me.

"I don't know, Pete, I don't kn—AH!" A dark mass flew at me out of nowhere and I immediately fall to the ground. I hear a thud and someone yell shit from over by Sirius' bed, Remus yelling 'I'm sorry' over and over again, and Peter laughing at us. So then I grab his leg and pull him to the ground.

Then James comes running out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and shampoo in his hair screaming "EARTHQUAKE! THERE'S AN EARTHQUAKE! EVERYBODY FOLLOW THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURE!"

What is wrong with my friends? Honestly.

We laugh for a good ten minutes. I actually started crying I was laughing so hard. That hasn't happened in so long.

"James…Ja…" I can't even form complete sentences. "James… please, for the love of all things holy, go finish your shower."

"I hate all of you!" he yells as he slams the door to the bathroom behind him.

"God, he's such a tool," I say to no one in particular. "How's your head, Sirius?"

"Hurts like a bitch. What the hell happened?" he asks angrily.

"Umm… Remus threw something at me… and I freaked out and screamed…" I mumble sheepishly.

"You're an idiot," Sirius states, as if it's a fact.

"Love ya too, bitch," I mutter under my breath.

"OI!"

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"I can't help you, Ava. I have no fucking clue about girls, so what makes you think I can help you with your guy problems?"

"But, that's just the thing, Sam. I'm not having guy problems, necessarily. I'm having _me_ problems! I don't really care at this point if he likes me or not. I'm more concerned about whether or not _I_ like him."

"Well how the hell am I supposed to help you?"

"We're cousins, Sam, best friends, practically brother and sister. The only person who knows me better than you is James, and I can't very well talk to him about this. You're the only person I can talk to!"

Sam is quiet for a bit. I think he's thinking.

"I think you should just wait on it. Keep acting as if nothing is wrong…don't do anything about it until you know for sure."

That sounds reasonable. I can do that. "Thanks, Sammy," I say as I give him a hug.

"No problem, Avie. Just do me a favor?"

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Never, _ever_, come to me for guy advice again."

I smile. "Sure thing, Sammy Boy."

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I notice as I sit in the boys' compartment, that Sirius seems very… quiet. I'm sure that I'm the only one who notices. James and Peter are playing a game of Exploding Snap and Remus has his nose in a book once again.

I jump from one side of the compartment to the other so I can sit next to Sirius.

"I'd ask if you were excited to be going home but I can tell from your face that you're not…" I say quietly.

"Yeah," he mumbles, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Sirius… you kn-" but I stop short when Sirius just looks out the window. His jaw clenches, and I decide that now may not be the time to pry.

You know, I never really looked at Sirius closely before. He has a strong jaw line, and long eye lashes. His pin straight black hair hangs down into his eyes and gives him that mysterious, haughty, rich kid look. He really is a beautiful creature.

I look back at his grey eyes, and see that they've darkened. Now they're almost black. It makes sense, I think, that he would have lighter eyes when he's happier, and darker eyes when he's not. It must suck, not having a family that loves you for who you are; to have all that pressure on your shoulders to be something you're not.

I feel like I have to do something to make him feel better, but I have no clue as to what I should do. I mean, if he were a girl, or James, I would just give him a hug. But he's not James, or a girl, he's a really hott guy friend, and those are uncharted territories. I need something subtle so James, Remus, and Pete don't know.

I slip my hand into his and lean my head on his shoulder. Sirius doesn't look at me, but he simply grips my hand harder. I look up at his face and see his eyes lighten just a little.

**Sirius' POV**

Dogs have this thing about them where they know when the person they're near is feeling bad. It's why I love dogs so much. They know when to stop asking to be taken on a walk, or to be fed, or to go to the bathroom. They just lie their head on your lap. It's like they're saying to you _I understand_.

It is exactly like what Ava is doing now. She understands. She knows that I hate my family, and she understands that I don't want to talk about them. She understands in ways the guys can't. And I don't think it's because she's a girl, or because of her Dad. I think it's because I like her. As in I like her more than a friend should.

It's the only explanation for what I've been feeling lately. Why else would I feel cold at the lack of contact in June? Why else would I want to be the one comforting her? Why else would I feel the need to know everything about her, to be near her at all times, to be the one who makes her smile, who makes her laugh?

In the past few months, it's only been slightly noticeable. We've only been brushing shoulders in the halls, or she'll put her legs on me when we sit on the couch together. But this, last night and right now, is something completely different, and something I'm completely unprepared for.

There's something about the weight of Ava's head on my shoulder that is so comforting. The feel of her hand in mine makes my chest swell with emotion. You know how in those crappy romance novels James keeps hidden under his bed, the two people 'in love' get butterflies or fireworks in their stomach? That's not true. The feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I see her can't even be labeled, it's so unknown. Fireworks, butterflies? It's an understatement. This thing is so much better than some bug flying around your intestines, or some flammable object possibly setting you on fire.

Oh wow. That's a very strange description. But in a way it's kind of accurate. In my eyes, a crush is nothing but an infatuation. You don't really like someone if you only have a crush on them. You shouldn't act on it, because chances are it will pass and then you can move on. Butterflies and fireworks are for crushes. This feeling, we'll call it Feeling X, is for something so much more. It's almost a midway point between liking someone more than a friend, but you're not quite in love with them. I'm stuck in limbo, in this strange middle state, and it's the most confusing thing in the world.

How could I like someone this much when I've only known them for five months? How could I like Ava? Why do I have to like Ava? What greater being thought it would be funny to make me like my best friend's almost-sister? It's not fair! And I can guarantee that she doesn't feel the same way back. Why would she? Any sensible person wouldn't like someone after knowing them for such a short period of time. I sigh, thinking about how I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I stare out the window. Everything's a blur, not because the train is moving so fast, but because I'm not really focusing on what I'm seeing. I'm not really looking at anything, my eyes are just directed at what's passing outside the window. My eyes start to water from not blinking at all. I blink a few times, and look down at Ava. She's asleep. She has completely passed out on my shoulder. I smile, forgetting about my troubles. Ava looks so peaceful. The creases I usually see in her forehead and on her brow are completely gone. Her lips are parted a bit, and pieces of hair that have fallen out of her bun frame her face. God, she really is 'drop dead gorgeous.'

I keep smiling before I lean my head on the window and shut my eyes.

The constant motion of the train and the comfort Ava's touch instills in me eventually lulls me to sleep.

* * *

**OH MY FUCKING GOD I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE THIS!!!!! You see, I had this done in early March, and my beta told me it was really bad and crappy, which was true. Holy crap, was she right. So then I edited it, but I felt like there was more I could fix, so then I procrastinated some... and then I procrastinated some more...**

**But I have it! It is here! And cookies to everyone who reviewed, especially like 2 months after I posted last chapter. I got a new record of reviews for the last chapter (it's really only 5...) and over 1300 hits :D Special shout out to Shadow HeHAHo who left me the best review ever for chapter 6: "O." Couldn't have said it better myself.**

**I hope everyone had a great Easter if you're Catholic, Passover if you're Jewish, and if you're Orthodox, I hope you have a great Easter as well.**

**Anyways, please review, it always makes my day.**

**_Next time on _The Story_:_**

**_- Summer times -- I PROMISE_**

**Lots of love,**

**-Friar**


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